Three Days
by ArmoredCoreNineBall
Summary: An unusual event with an unusual outcome. With a possible time limit attached, a certain girl goes out of her way to make new memories with a certain boy. Is it just a temporary miracle? Or is it something more...? Collaboration project between me and MrQuestionMark.
1. The Beginning

**Alright... so a few people have probably noticed me dropping a few hints that I've been working on a super secret project... and well, for the lack of a better way to say it; here it is!**

 **A nice little story between Kamijou Touma and Shokuhou Miskai. But what makes this notable, you might ask?**

 **This story is a collaborative effort between me and another writer: MrQuestionMark. Half of this is written by me, the other is written by him! It's a little experiment he had been discussing for awhile and finally got the time to work on! It was decided that I was going to be the one to hold the charge of releasing this...**

 **And now; it's time to release it upon the world!**

 **I won't spoil how many chapters this will be, but there will be something of an afterword when everything is said and done; we have some fun stuff to talk about!**

 **That being said, let us get on with the show!**

 **Both of us hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"…So he found himself in here overnight yet again… Good grief, that boy…"

Heaven Canceller spoke absentmindedly as he sat in his office. He had arrived for his shift as he always would and when he entered the building, he was informed by the nurses upfront that a certain someone had been admitted while he was away.

Heaven Canceller sighed and went to investigate for himself. He took the elevator up to a certain floor, and went on a short walk to a certain room.

He sighed again when he found it occupied by a certain spiky-haired teenager. It didn't take too much digging to find out why he was inside.

"Admitted around midnight…severe bruising and bleeding around the back of his head…signs of electrocution…so basically a stage lamp fell on him and he lived?" The frog-faced doctor chuckled to himself.

He laughed because this was far from the first time he had been admitted to the hospital for blunt trauma and electrocution…and it wasn't the first time that he had been admitted for both of those at once either.

"Alright… I'll be taking over for the emergency room doctor now that I'm actually here… Let's see…" He spoke as he began his work for the day. "Care log… Alright, they did that correctly… Pain medication… Ah, that's a little high; the overnighter must be new. I'll be sure to send him an e-mail informing him…"

A lot went into the medical profession, even the slightest bit of inaccuracy could be the difference between life and death.

And the end result here was…

"…Alright… Patient was carried in by… Oh my…that's a name I haven't seen in while." A small smile creeped onto the doctor's lips.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Heaven Canceller called out. The door slowly opened and a certain someone stepped inside.

"So… how is he?"

"Overnight emergency room screwed up; he has three hours to live."

"Your lying ability is bad and you should feel bad." This caused the frog-faced doctor to let out a chuckle.

"Sorry, but I actually just got here… come on in and close the door, Shokuhou-chan. It's been awhile."

Indeed, it was none other than one Shokuhou Misaki, the fifth-ranked Level 5, known as the Mental Out. Her long, honey-blonde hair was just as unmistakable as her star-filled eyes. She walked with a certain elegance that seemed to come naturally to her, taking a seat and setting down her handbag.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced, but I had wondered if you had a chance to give him a look-over. The overnight doctor did his best but I would like a more trusted opinion, if you don't mind." Misaki spoke candidly.

"That's fine… I'm guessing that since you're the one who brought him in, that it's likely you slept here. If I had known, I would have stopped and got some coffee for you." Heaven Canceller spoke.

"Coffee for a cute, adorable middle-school girl like me? You know that can stunt the growth of a teenager, right?"

"…And clearly that would be an issue for you, right?" The frog-faced doctor spoke.

"Not THAT kind of growth… Seriously, your pervert ability is just as high as ever, lewd doctor." Misaki replied.

"Well sorry, but when one goes under a radical physical transformation like yours… It'd be a little disheartening to find that no one noticed, don't you think?"

"…Good point. That would be disappointing… very well; I'll let you keep your last twenty years of memories then." Misaki smiled, crossing her arms under her chest triumphantly. The frog-faced doctor chuckled.

"Yes… it is quite impressive… though as much as your bust-line increases, I can't help but recall that your muscle-mass has remained unaltered… It might have even degraded… Gee, I wonder why that is… Could you be sick? Or are you a tad…lazy?" The good doctor spoke with a sheepish grin.

"Hey, you're treading into territory you will regret." Misaki didn't like the jab at her general lack of physical ability. "Besides, guys like the slender girl with a large chest look anyway."

"Excuses I see… Maybe I should send a recommendation to your teachers…"

"Do it and I'll regress your thinking ability to that of a two-year-old!" Misaki fired back.

"That is an empty threat; if you did that, I wouldn't be able to fix him up after every situation he finds himself in, you know." Heaven Canceller replied. Misaki pouted cutely before leaning back in her chair.

"…Fine, you win. You're lucky your medical ability is so high." She even let out a cute little 'hmph' at the end. The frog-faced doctor stood up.

"Alright… I think I teased you enough. It is about time for me to check up on him… It might take a while."

"Why's that?" Misaki asked.

"There are some tests we normally do when a patient suffers electrocution of this nature, and I feel that I should follow up promptly since his case was also accompanied by blunt trauma." Heaven Canceller said. "Some of our machinery was down for maintenance, and what we did have available was in use and had a waiting list attached. I'm going to look into it and see if I can get one of them up and running and put him through to make sure everything in his head is right as rain."

"…Well, as right as they can be, considering his condition…" Misaki frowned.

"Right… I haven't forgotten. Him and memories do not get along…" The frog-faced doctor rubbed his head.

"I know… he lost his memories again about a year after his incident with me." Misaki spoke. "At least he was able to make new memories of everyone else he lost… There are days where I envy that little nun that's living with him now; I don't think she understands how good she has it, you know?"

"Maybe there's a loop-hole where he will be able to remember you if you dress up as a cute nun? Maybe it applies to a nurse outfit too?" The good doctor joked.

"G-get out there and do your job, you horrible doctor!" Misaki cried out. Heaven Canceller laughed and turned to face her again.

"…Do you want to come? Maybe seeing his smiling face might cheer you up a little bit." He said. Misaki was quiet for a moment.

Her lips pursed into a sad smile.

"…No, I'll be fine. I brought him in here so he can be under your care, so that's good enough for me. If he makes it to you, no matter what happens, he'll survive." Misaki replied. The good doctor frowned.

He could only watch from the sidelines, but he knew quite a bit about her situation.

As one could tell, the girl known as Shokuhou Misaki was hopelessly in love with a single boy, Kamijou Touma; the very one currently lying in a hospital bed.

However, due to incident where said Kamijou Touma was protecting Misaki from a group known as Deadlock, who were attempting to attack her, Touma suffered major blows all over his body that led to a severe and steady loss of blood, and if it continued, he would have invariably died.

And to make matters worse, the EMT's responding to the incident wouldn't be able to operate on his injuries without some kind of anesthetic, but using that so would cause his already low blood levels to drop even further; it seemed that the unlucky Kamijou's fate was sealed.

But… there was one option. Shokuhou Misaki managed to use her ability to cut off Touma's sense of pain, allowing the EMTs to work, and managed to do so long enough to allow them to save him from certain death. But the cost was high.

This act, although it saved Kamijou Touma's life, caused a collapse of a portion of his brain in direct relation to Shokuhou Misaki. All memories he had of her were permanently lost, and while his short-term memory was fine, his long-term memory would forever be unable to record memories related to the honey-blonde girl.

She was hopelessly in love with a boy who could never remember her.

The room was quiet for a moment.

"…Sorry, my timing ability is horrible, but is there any news on any possible remedies…?" Misaki asked.

"…Well, underground rumors in the medical fields say there is a memory implanting device called a Testament. In theory, it might be able to jumpstart the collapsed side of his brain with electrical stimulation, but…"

"…Considering his already bad condition, with a complete memory wipe not long ago…?"

"Yeah; results could be tragic if even one thing went wrong. It could go from just a collapse centered around you to a complete mental annihilation." The good doctor shook his head. "Even if it has chance at working, as a doctor, I can't recommend it."

"…Oh well," Misaki spoke. "That's fine; best not to risk it over little ol' me. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I took away all of his chances at life just to satisfy my own selfish desire. It's just that… Last night felt really similar to back then… So I'm a little… uncomfortable, I suppose."

"I assume you were there for most of it then." The doctor asked.

"…He was off on one of his little adventures again. The kind that gets admitted here on a weekly basis." Misaki smiled lightly. "We just so happened to cross paths, and when I found out that a group was targeting him specifically… Well; even if he can't remember me I just couldn't help myself and decided to tag along."

"Sounds like that was the best choice. Who knows what could have happened if he was alone."

"…Right, he owes me then!" Misaki perked up with a smile. "The first thing I'm going to do if he remembers me some day is make him take me out on a date!" The honey-blond girl giggled. "Not that I'd let him pay of course."

"…Call me old fashioned, but it's not much of a date if the guy doesn't pay." Heaven Canceller replied.

"Just the opportunity to spend time with him is all I want, that's all. Everything else is just extra fluff." Misaki replied. "…What part of go off and work on fixing him didn't you understand? Or is your socializing ability so high you have to talk with a cute girl?"

"Nah, you just seemed like you wanted to talk is all." The frog-faced doctor replied. "I'm not the best psychiatrist, but I can still listen to people's complaints; that's the least I can do as a doctor, after all."

Misaki giggled lightly. The good doctor reached for the door to his office, but appeared to remember something and walked back to his desk.

He shut down his computer. Misaki pouted.

"Come on… I just wanted one little peak!"

"Can't let you do that; you do remember that I am a doctor first, right?" Heaven Canceller replied. "Wait here; if anyone asks, just tell them to call me, alright?"

And so the good doctor was gone, leaving the honey-blonde girl alone for a time. Her delicate hands drifted down to her handbag and pulled out her cell phone.

Too concerned with the fate of Kamijou Touma, she shut off her phone to prevent people from trying to contact her and possibly getting in the way.

And now that she had turned it back on, her phone was being flooded with messages. It was a school week after all, and Misaki's absence could not possibly go unnoticed by her clique. Those in her personal circle flooded her phone with messages of concern, asking where she was and if she was ok.

Her response was simple.

"I am fine. I am tending to an associate of mine who happened to be hospitalized. When I am finished, I'll return to see you all!" Misaki spoke as she typed. "And…send!"

Satisfied with answering her clique's calls of concern, she reclined in her chair with a smile.

It was heartwarming to have such genuine concern thrown her way after all.

She closed her eyes, resting her phone on her lap as she began to think to herself what she was going to do once she got the answers she wanted out of Heaven Canceller. Today was actually the last day of classes for the week; the next few days were a Japanese Holiday, and the school day was even cut in half in celebration, so she was otherwise free. Of course she'd have to come in and get the work she did miss from the short day, but otherwise she was as free as a bird.

So her mind naturally drifted towards what she would want to do. A vision of a certain someone appeared in her head, but that was quickly dismissed.

It was impossible.

Her mind continued to bounce around lightly until she fell asleep; it was likely that she had not slept very well the night prior with her mind full of concern.

She rested peacefully until the door to the office opened once again.

"A-Ah…?" Misaki's eyes snapped open. "I-I wasn't sleeping or anything! I was just r-resting my eyes! Yeah!"

"…You know, I requested several times for a cot for situations like this, but the higher ups keep turning it down, saying it'd be unprofessional." Heaven Canceller commented.

"…I can make them change their mind; I just need their names and addresses." Misaki blinked. The frog-faced doctor chuckled as he sat down in his chair. "…Alright, so I needed to recharge with my sleeping ability… how long was I out…?"

"Well… I've been gone for about an hour and a half so…around there I suppose." The doctor shrugged, turning his computer back on.

"So…how is he?" Misaki asked, watching the good doctor for his response.

"…Well, physically he's fine. A few stitches but that's par for the course with him." The doctor began. "He is awake and active…and to be honest, on the surface he seems perfectly fine, but…"

"Don't just trail off to increase dramatic tension. Just tell me." Misaki deadpanned.

"Well…it's his brainwaves." Heaven Canceller replied. "While changes to how fast or slow they move are normal over the course of the day, everyone has their own, distinct pattern to them… but our tests have shown that his have abruptly changed."

"…Changed?" Misaki frowned.

"We tested it a few times…it's probably due to the electrocution he suffered from; the extra voltage probably wreaked some havoc in his brain. It will take some time to recover fully." The doctor replied.

"So…will he be ok…?"

"It's hard to tell… But as I told you, he is functioning just fine." The good doctor smiled. "As long as he remains functioning correctly, there should be nothing else to worry about. The tests have shown that his brainwaves are slowly returning to their normal pattern, so his brain must be recovering rather well…as long as everything stays regular, he should be perfectly fine. In about say… three days or so he should be back to normal."

Misaki listened carefully, taking everything in one piece of information at a time.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness… I was worried that because of the blow…and the number of them…" Misaki trailed off.

"…You're making me really curious as to what you and him got involved with, you know that?" Heaven Canceller commented with a chuckle. "I'll be keeping him here for a while to make sure everything is in order. If all is well he should be released sometime in the afternoon."

"Thank you… thank you very much." Misaki stood up. "I know that if he makes it to you he will be fine but… I'm just the kind of person who worries about people I love until I have one-hundred percent certainty…"

"People you love, huh? Working on that confession, I see." The doctor joked. Mental Out pouted.

"Well, I'm not like a certain brown-haired girl who can't get over how she feels… When the time is right, I'll wow him in such a way that I'll steal his heart with absolute certainty!" Misaki spoke proudly. "When Misaki-chan unleashes her confession ability, all boys everywhere are doomed to fall in love with her! Hohohoho!" She even fake laughed to enhance the silliness of what she was saying. The good doctor smiled.

"Optimism is good. Sometimes the best you can do is hope for the best, so I'm glad you haven't lost your spirit."

"Heh… As if I'd lose my motivation to live after everything he's done for me." Misaki replied.

"Now if only you'd apply that kind of determination to your physical education classes…"

"Really? You want to step into the realms of hell twice in one day? Clearly your bravery ability is in full swing…" Misaki replied with a sigh. "…Listen, if you find anything…"

"You'll be the first person I tell. You have my word." The Heaven Canceller. "Likely, all of his previous memories of you have been lost… But at the very least, we can work toward reviving that part of his brain so you both can start anew."

"…When I say thank you, I absolutely mean it." Misaki stated. "Even if all you're doing is giving me a little sliver of hope, you have my most sincere gratitude…"

"Think nothing of it. Healing patients is a doctor's job." The frog-faced doctor replied. "Now, you take care, alright?"

With her business taken care of, she left the hospital with the peace of mind that one Kamijou Touma would make a fully recovery. In truth, she wanted to visit him for a little while, but she had things she needed to take care of.

Besides; as much as she hated to admit it, the spiky haired teen wouldn't remember the encounter, thus any effort she put forward would be wasted.

So her first stop was Tokiwadai Middle School. Likely the hospital had informed her teachers of her situation, so she could avoid any kind of punishment, but that didn't mean she could ignore her own schoolwork.

Helping someone to the hospital and staying with them while they recover could be used as a valid excuse for missing classes, but it definitely would not work as an excuse for not doing her daily assignments.

At least she got out of PE. Silver linings, I suppose.

The next challenge; her clique. When they met the girls bombarded her with questions; what happened? Who was the person she was with? Why did she feel the need to stay personally and not send one of them to watch over him or her?

The bombardment was starting to get on her nerves. She reached into her handbag to take out a remote, but changed her mind at the last minute.

Maybe it was because 'he' was involved that she decided against using her power. Her clique remembering the situation gave her some peace of mind, regardless of how annoying their questions were; it was security that what transpired had indeed happened, and wouldn't be forgotten by at least someone. So she endured the rigorous questioning and answered what she was able.

She never did reveal whom she was with to them though, nor what had really happened the previous night. When they pressured her for answers, she instead began to look depressed and like she was on the verge of tears.

It worked like a charm too; they dropped their line of questioning almost immediately, apologizing for upsetting her.

She was fine of course, but they didn't need to know that.

Misaki commented that she was hungry and that she wanted something to eat, which shifted the topic of discussion. She and her clique were then on the move, eager to find a source of sustenance to their liking. One of the girls mentioned a place outside of the school garden that had good desserts and Mental Out was sold on the spot; her love of sweets was second to none.

They made their way over quickly and had their meal in peace, having a more normal conversation together. When their meal was finished and the girls wanted to head home, Misaki said she wanted to take a walk and asked the girls to head back without her. There was a little fuss but they eventually agreed.

So the honey-blonde girl left on her own to wander. Her travel was aimless; she simply wanted a little time to think and a casual walk alone allowed her the opportunity. She needed a little time to decompress now that her obligations had been taken care of.

"Let's see… We're in District Seven, aren't we?" Misaki looked at a public map to find her location. "He lives here… I wonder if he made it home already?"

She looked back at the map. She knew his address, not that she ever visited; it was just something she discovered upon doing a little digging a year ago. He hadn't moved from what she had been able to discover, so the information was still good.

"…Maybe it's time to head back. If I focus too much on that, I might get a little depressed."

She spoke to herself, thinking out loud. She glanced back to the map to locate the nearest bus stop and was on her way.

The streets had only a handful of people. It wasn't particularly late, which made it unusual, but she decided not to question it. The less populate the sidewalk was, the better anyway.

That's when she noticed a familiar spiky-haired teen.

Kamijou Touma was walking down the same sidewalk as her, going the opposite direction. From the paper he had in his hand, she deduced it was likely a shopping list.

He had been released and was returning back to his normal life too. The thought was both pleasant and sad at the same time.

Pleasant because it meant he was doing well, and sad because she was not involved with it.

The unlucky Kamijou's gaze was focused on his list with a dreary look; it seemed like he was dreading whatever it was he had to buy. People stayed out of his way, so he likely would have kept focused on it and not even looked up to see her.

Misaki kept her focus on him. They were getting closer, and would pass in only a few steps.

It didn't matter in the long run, but even if he wouldn't remember it, Misaki decided to greet him anyway.

Those small moments of interaction were precious to her, after all.

"Good afternoon!" Misaki spoke cheerfully.

"Oh, hey Shokuhou-san." Touma replied. He only looked up for a moment, appearing busy. He shifted back down onto his list in hand and kept walking.

So they parted with just that.

But…

"…Eh?" Misaki stopped after only a few moments. She turned around and glanced at the spiky-haired teen. "Did…he just…?"

Stating Shokuhou Misaki's name wouldn't be uncommon under normal circumstances; she had told him when they met the previous night. He tried to push her away, so she even dropped that she was the fifth ranked Level 5 to convince him to allow her company.

But…he remembered it…?

How…?

She watched the spiky haired teen walk, shocked and confused.

Did he…actually remember? Was it her mind playing tricks on her and making her hear what she wanted to hear?

Or…did he seriously state her name?

She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to do.

If he didn't remember, chasing him down and demanding an explanation would simply embarrass her. Even if he didn't recall it, she would.

…But if he somehow did remember her…

She made her decision right there.

"H-hey, hold on a minute!" Misaki turned quickly and began chasing the unlucky Kamijou.

"Eh…? What is it? Did something happen?" Touma turned to find the honey-blonde girl running after him.

"Do…do you actually remember me…?" Misaki asked. She was a little winded from the run.

…Maybe there was something to what the doctor was saying about her, huh?

"…That's a weird question." Touma replied. "We just met last night, Shokuhou-san. Level 5's sure are temperamental…" Misaki struggled to reply, simply staring back at the unlucky Kamijou.

So…he did remember…but how?

He even remembered the bit about her being a Level 5.

But…how!? When did it happen!?

"But…it sounds like you were expecting me to forget you… That's the strange part." Touma stated.

"Eh?" Misaki panicked. She didn't have a reply for this. To be completely honest, she was expecting it to just be her mind playing a trick on her; it wouldn't have been the first time by any means.

But…here he was; his response seemed genuine… It couldn't be some elaborate ruse…could it?

Touma began to stare at Mental Out rather suspiciously.

She needed an excuse.

"A-ah! I was just worried that because of the hits to the head you took!" she finally replied. "Plus those blasts of lightning with it… I can tell that your endurance ability is top class, but I was worried that it'd all jumble or fry your brain and you'd forget all about me! Even if it was a chaotic situation, it was still our first meeting after all!"

Touma eyed her for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"…Good point, I did get beaten to a pulp…" He replied. "Not the best way I'd like to meet someone new, but what can you do? Stuff like that follows me around like a stray cat…"

Misaki sighed; he bought it. Plus, with that kind of response, it was definitely him, so she could rule out the possibility of an imposter set out to fool her, regardless of how small that possibility was.

But…how did he remember? What had changed in his mind-

It struck her; she had heard it from earlier.

" _Well…it's his brainwaves… While changes to how fast or slow they move are normal over the course of the day, everyone has their own, distinct pattern to them…but our tests have shown that his have abruptly changed."_

Heaven Canceller's words ringed in her mind.

Could…could that have been it? Was this sudden change in simple brainwaves enough to reactivate the collapsed portion of his mind? Hope filled her heart before it was suddenly dashed away with another memory.

" _The tests have shown that his brainwaves are slowly returning to their normal pattern… In about say…three days or so he should be back to normal."_

Three days…if the brainwave change was the cause for the collapsed portion of his mind suddenly reactivating, then the possibility of the collapsed portion of his brain returning to normal existed as well.

It actually seemed rather likely, taking everything into account.

So…for three days, if her assumption was correct, he would be able to remember and make memories of Shokuhou Misaki, just like anyone else. Judging from how the good doctor described it, that timer probably didn't count today… but…

"…Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. It was nice talking to you, but I have to go spend the last of my money on the necessities…" Touma sighed, glancing back at the list in his hand. "So I'll see you later-"

"Wait!" Misaki called out as the unlucky Kamijou turned to leave.

"…? Is something wrong?" Touma asked. He was definitely confused.

What…was she doing? All she had was three days.

In three days, he would lose all memory of her.

He would return to normal and forget her. Nothing she did now or until then would matter.

But…

"I…wouldn't mind joining you." Misaki stated. "I can help you carry your things! Plus, I'm a Level 5; I have plenty of money to cover for you if money is that big of an issue!"

Even still…there was just the tiniest bit of hope.

The tiniest bit of hope that she was completely wrong.

The tiniest bit of hope that the alteration to his brainwaves was unrelated.

…The tiniest bit of hope that in the chaos of that incident, a miracle had occurred.

"Eh? You don't have to…besides, you probably have better things to do than to just hang around this unlucky Kamijou." Touma replied. "Plus, having a girl pay for a guy is kinda…"

"D-don't worry about a thing!" Misaki replied quickly. "Life for a Level 0 is awfully hard, right? You have to do what you need to do to survive, right? You really took a beating last night, so I don't mind lending a hand exchange since I walked away unscathed."

"I mean… if you really want, I suppose I really can't stop you…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"I just have…one little request after we deliver the goods back to your home… Will you hear me out?" Misaki asked.

"Eh…? I…guess?" Touma sighed. He knew there was a catch to all of this; having help to carry his goods and pay for it all was too good to be true.

It just wasn't what he was expected.

"I would like to restart our meeting, if you don't mind." The honey-blonde girl stated.

"That's…all?" Touma blinked.

"Yes… It would be horrible to think that the first time we met was due to those terrible people…don't you think?" Misaki replied. "I actually have some places I'd like to visit…but it would be awkward to go to alone…but I think going together would be wonderful… What do you say? Do you want to keep me company for a little while?"

Touma's face began to flush red. It was clear how his mind interpreted that, which caused the Mental Out to giggle. The unlucky Kamijou seemed to shake this off though, rubbing his head after.

Misaki theorized that Touma likely had the thought of "Nah, there's no way she means it like that…" or something similar…

Oh how little he knew…

"I…don't mind I guess. You are helping me out… I have to make sure I get my shopping done first, alright? I'll be bitten if I don't…" Touma replied.

"Of course; that is what I meant. Your cautious ability is rather strong, I see." Misaki smiled. "Well! Lead the way! Don't worry, I'll be right behind you!"

And so Shokuhou Misaki's three-day paradise began.

But… how would it end?

Only time would tell.

* * *

 **And there you have it! The start of a rather interesting situation, don't you think?**

 **Not a whole else to really say. The ideal goal is a chapter up once a week until it's completed.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Review at your leisure; we both enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends! And MrQuestionMark's Too!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	2. The First Day

**And here we are... right at chapter 2. I have full author's note duty so away I go!**

 **Hopefully the wait has been kind! We both really like the reception the first chapter got, so thank you all who reviewed/followed/Favorited this story; it really means a lot. We will be holding off on review responses for awhile, as we want to keep these laser focused on content.**

 **That said, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

It had all been a dream.

Perhaps one of the most "Fuck you" type of endings there ever existed within the realm of fiction, anyone who read it was sure to throw the book they were reading it from or just outright smash the computer that held those words, those six words were ones that could illicit rage in even the most emotionless of beings.

But for Shokuhou Misaki, while she was sure those six words would have created enough rage in her that she might have killed whoever had written said story, there was also a part of her that realized that those words might be true.

Kamijou Touma had remembered her.

The means were unknown. Although Misaki had used cause and effect principles to think to herself that the reason behind Touma remembering her had to do with the alteration to his brainwaves, there was the chance, the ever so small chance that it was entirely unrelated. And because of that, there was the chance that Touma remembering her was an event that held no weight to it at all for anyone else: he would remember things about her and forget things about like anyone would a normal person.

But the idea that Touma could do that for Shokuhou Misaki was a luxury she had been denied for so very long.

Three days.

If indeed, the reason Touma could remember Misaki was because of the alteration of his brainwaves, then there were three days in which Touma could remember that girl with the honey blonde hair. It was on the third day that everything would be revealed: whether he would be able to remember Misaki past that third day would determine if the reason he could remember her now had to do with the alteration to his brainwaves.

What should she do with that spare time? What should she do with the time she now had?

Misaki had no idea, the fact that she even had this time in the first place making her feel as though she were drifting through the clouds with ecstasy. But if there was one thing she knew, it was that if she were to be told that this was a dream, then she would entirely believe it even though her reaction of rage might cause someone to be turned into a vegetable or two.

Angering a Level 5 was a terrifying thing after all.

But in this case, it was perhaps even worse.

Because taking away the happiness that was blossoming in the chest of that Level 5 was threatening to rip apart her very mind at its core.

Shokuhou Misaki was not currently within the School Garden or within Tokiwadai Middle School grounds either. No, the Japanese holiday which was shared with Academy City had meant that for the next few days, school was out and the festivities were abound within the entire City itself. Students who had been let off school for the sake of the festival walked around the streets with their friends although it was not going to be for another few days that the fireworks show that was accompanied with that festival was going to take place.

Tokiwadai Middle School was no exception although it was with some annoyance that Shokuhou was forced to wear her middle school uniform even out of the area where she did her learning. The rules served to hold her down and push her around but it was with nervousness that she stood amongst the ground in District 7 as the hubbub of the passing pedestrians surrounded her.

She was waiting.

Waiting for him.

It had been nothing more than a simple request. A desire for the two of them, now that Touma had regained his memories of her, to restart their meeting and begin once again, fresh with the time that they were to spend together. Misaki herself was unsure what exactly had happened in the incident involving that spiky haired boy which had sent him once more to hospital, but for the first time in her life, Misaki dared herself to have a rather dangerous thought.

Whatever that incident was, she was glad he had gotten hurt.

Because it had allowed him to remember her.

Naturally, the conflict between the cause and the effect was one that other at her heart, but the effect, despite the cause, was one which threatened to make her collapse right there on the streets, trembling with pure happiness at what she hoped was not a dream whatsoever.

And here she was, waiting. After having helped that boy with his groceries yesterday, the debt he had formed was one that his sincere side wanted to pay back as soon as he could. And to that end, Misaki had only asked for one thing: for the two of them to meet up here so that she could 'visit places she would have a hard time visiting herself'.

Yet, whether it was on purpose or merely the first thing that came to mind when she had answered Touma's question of where they were to meet up, the place where Misaki stood right now was by no means unimportant and insignificant.

It was where everything had started, at least, for Misaki.

This was the intersection and the place where she had first met Kamijou Touma in August, that summer long ago.

She had said that she wanted to 'start again' but the fact that she had taken it so literally and chosen this place for their first meet-up Misaki only belatedly realized was extremely fitting. Here she was, ready to meet up with Touma in the true 'first meeting' they were about to have, the one that arose in the period after he had lost his memories on July 28th. This place and their new beginning that would start here was nothing more than Misaki truly and wholly starting again, this time, in the hopes that Touma would remember her and their meetings for real now.

Even so though, the nervousness and the beating of her heart only threatened to cause her to collapse as she stood, waiting patiently for the boy who was going to come for her. The stares she attracted, whether it because she was in her Tokiwadai uniform, she was known to be the Level 5 or merely because of her natural beauty was stares she barely even registered. Even amongst the faces of the crowd as she stood at the intersection where she had first met him and where he was going to first meet her again, the faces that passed her by were ones she did not even register for a moment when she looked at them.

No, she knew there was only one face she was looking for. Everything else was unimportant, every other face not one she had to spend time looking at, even if that was a cruel thought. Misaki had been waiting for this one single moment for what seemed like an eternity and the next three days were only going to be that small commercial break for her in the play of life.

What would come of it?

Not even Misaki knew but the importance of it, the importance of them meeting once more at this place where Misaki had first met Touma was one she hoped would continue forever.

Still though…

There was one detail right now that she had to consider.

(…He's late.)

It was with that pout that Misaki made that mental note, turning around and spotting her reflection. She had gotten ready in a hurry, the excitement she was feeling to even be given the chance to experience what she was going to experience throwing her heart and her mind into chaos. The hurry she had gotten ready in had been mainly to avoid the rather clingy members of her clique and while she had nothing against them, today was not going to be her clique fighting over who they would go to the festival with Misaki.

No, it was just for her and someone else who had a special place in her heart.

…Even though, to be honest, the bets that Misaki had placed on who would win whatever competition usually fell on her right hand woman of Hokaze Junko.

Although she looked perfect to the outsider, the small imperfections which were obvious now that Misaki spotted them in her face and clothes only told of how hurriedly she had made her way to this meeting spot due to the anticipation she had for today.

It rather annoyed her in a way. After all, the fact that the Shokuhou Misaki had been so tamed that she would look forward to a single meeting with a single boy put her in a rather bad mood…but the meeting itself and who was going to be there was enough to lift her spirits, if even slightly.

A strand of hair Misaki saw was poking out at an odd angle in the reflection of the mirror. It was with a small pout that she raised her hands towards it and tried to lower it down, but even in the mirror, she could note the trembling of her hands.

…Was he really late?

Misaki felt something bitter rise within her as she slowly moved the strand of hair down.

Was he even coming in the first place?

Had Misaki, in her frustration and her pain only dreamt that the boy remembered her? The bitter feeling and the big "Fuck you" her mind was playing with her made her want to spit on the ground, yet the truth and the possibility in that it was nothing but a dream weighed heavily on her mind. It crushed her, tormented her and tortured her heart was than anything else and it was the momentary consideration that this was nothing but cruelty which made Misaki slowly lower her hands back down to her side.

Her gaze fell down…but was that because she didn't want to look at her face in the mirror in front of her?

The possibility that this was all a dream came to her more strongly now and it was with frustration that she clenched her fists by her side. Misaki trembled, something bitter within her rising to her throat…no, past that and towards her eyes. She closed them, forcing down the thoughts she had in her mind before realizing something extremely basic.

Their meeting time had been here, at this spot, at 7 in the morning. Not only was that plenty of time for Misaki to avoid her clique but also enough time for her to get her unathletic (but magnificent) body all the way to this spot and wait while also making sure she did not look unsightly while covered in sweat.

But it was now 8.30 in the morning.

90 minutes.

90 minutes of waiting and there was, in truth, only one conclusion that Misaki could draw from that.

It wasn't that he was late.

It had been nothing but cruelty. Cruelty, the world laughing at her and throwing forward her dream while laughing at how utterly unrealistic it was. It spat on her dreams, her wishes and more than anything, Misaki felt a raw anger surging through the very depths of the soul.

"What…was I even wishing for?"

Even now, she refused to look up and look at the face she was making.

"Stupid… I was just so…stupid."

Misaki took one deep breath, even now, not looking up. While she had planned her entire day around what was nothing but an illusion, it was now that she found herself empty inside. Nothing came to mind about to do and the bitter feeling rising in her eyes made her want to pause but it was with what inner strength she found that Misaki turned around and looked up.

The sun, not knowing her pain, her frustration and her anger beat down on her with happiness, a happiness that she could not reply to. The warmth that filled her only turned to ice and it was with frustration that she tossed her hair, taking a step forward with the bitterness that threatened to come from her eyes even now wanting to come loose.

"Just…stupid."

Misaki lowered her head, shaking it slightly and took another step forward –

Just as someone smashed into her from the side.

"Kyah!?"

"S-Sorry!"

Misaki tumbled to the ground, hitting it hard. Not in the mood for whatever idiot had not been catching the flow of people around her, she glared at the person who had smashed into her with unrestrained malice in her eyes.

Only for it to soften and turn into surprise.

"A-Ah!? Y-You're still here? I was hoping to tell you in advance, but I didn't have your number… Don't tell me you've been here since seven?! And here I thought Level 5s had something better to do with their time…"

Kamijou Touma, having unceremoniously smashed into her from the side spoke rapidly. Unlike Misaki, he was wearing casual clothes but even then, the rips and the fresh tears that were within the informed her that he had been made to get ready in a massive hurry for some reason or another. And was that…gunpowder she smelled from him?

His body was in a mess. Black soot was against his face and parts of his spiky hair glowed orange with what looked to be cinders. He was sweating profusely and the overall state he was in suggested that another major incident had happened to him without her knowing but it was simply the boy in front of her that made Misaki pause.

He had bumped into her but the fact that he had talked to her suggested that this was real. He was here for her and no one else; it was not a mistake, being in the wrong place at the wrong time or anything like that: simply him having been (extremely) late to a meeting with her.

Misaki could not even think, only sitting on the ground as the spiky haired idiot slowly stood up, frantically looking around at the things that had spilt out of Misaki's handbag upon impact.

"Uwawawawa, s-so sorry about this! I didn't expect you to move all of a sudden so…" Touma said those words without a care, moving around and picking up the numerous remotes Misaki had dropped before standing before her and holding out his hand.

"A-Are you OK? I mean, I realize that I'm both late and knocked you to the ground, but I'm here and that's what matters, right!? I-In my defense, there were numerous things that happened involving fireworks and a microwave but I hope in your heart, you can forgive this Kamijou-san for his tardiness!"

Touma seemed more panicked but Misaki never registered any of it, only staring in shock and surprise at the boy in front of her. He seemed to be trembling in what looked like fear of her reaction but given his past experiences with Level 5s that in itself was an understandable reaction. And what was that about fireworks and a microwave?

It didn't make sense to Misaki at all, however, in the face of the boy standing in front of her, the only thing that she did was feel something rising with her.

"Ha…"

"?!"

Touma stiffened in the face of that but there was nothing Misaki could do as she unleashed what was hidden within and was bursting to come out. While the sound that came out was laughter, the wet feeling on her cheeks that came from her eyes was nothing more than the bitterness she had once held being expelled from her.

No, were those tears of bitterness?

Or were they finally the tears of happiness now that she knew that this was real and not merely her dream?

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Yes, of course! Of course it has to be like this! _Just like the first time_ , I won't accept anything else but this! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Touma went wide eyed, suddenly staring at the people suddenly staring at the bastard who had knocked a girl to the ground and made her cry, even if she was laughing. He shook his head frantically at the misunderstanding that was forming in the eyes of others as they stared at the scum who had made a maiden cry and the trembling within his body was such that he could not simply treat this as a normal threat to his life.

He gulped, smiling slightly as he reached down and slowly grabbed Misaki's hands.

"U-Um, Shokuhou-sama? Please stop crying; this Kamijou-san feels as though each tear is another set of eyes placing a target on my back…" Touma trembled as he said that but it was only slowly that Misaki managed to get back her peace of mind. Sitting on the ground, she rose a hand to her eye and slowly wiped the remains of the tears away. She looked up, feeling actual warmth from the sun above her now as she stared at Touma who was trembling as he stood in front of her.

She looked up, but not at him. Rather, her gaze was set upon the sun, upon the world, which had not forsaken her as she let out two words.

"Thank you."

"?! (O-Oh boy, this one's a masochist. W-Why in the world are all the Level 5s like this?!)" Touma mumbled something underneath his breath as he slowly turned away but it was not enough to hide the words from Misaki. With a frown on her face, she reached and pinched at the skin of Touma, the boy yelping as she grabbed and twisted it, although with a smile on her face.

Touma's face started to break out into a sweat but Misaki quickly pulled her hand away, keeping that same smile on her face as she held out her hand.

"You're late. …I hope you're prepared for what comes next."

Touma stiffened but the smile on Misaki's face made him relax somewhat. No, he had been prepared for that and it was with a tired expression on his face that he reached down and grabbed Misaki's hand and lifted her up. The warmth that came through with that simple touch was almost enough to overwhelm her and she felt her heart race through her chest at the contact, only making the smile on her face greater. Touma only stared at in wonder, but then again, that made sense.

He knew nothing of how this meeting they had just had was so reminiscent of the one Misaki had first had with that spiky haired boy. He knew nothing of how him simply being her had saved her. He knew nothing of the feelings within Misaki's chest and how she was so simply affected by his presence.

Touma lifted her up but as he turned to pull back his hand, she tightened her grip, smiling the entire time as she refused to let go of the hand which was gripping hers. Touma stared in surprise at that before tilting his head in confusion and frowned.

"Shokuhou…san?"

"I've…missed you."

How much weight was in those words? Touma could not possibly know but those simple words made it feel like every pain, every part of suffering and every torment that came with Misaki and Touma forgetting her feel all the worth it. Misaki tightened her grip on the boy's hand and smiled once more, her eyes sparkling as she moved, dragging Touma behind her the entire time.

"H-Hey, where are we going? Shokuhou-san!?"

"I've finally figured out where to go, so you'll be coming with me. After everything I bought for you yesterday with my superior finance ability, you owe me that at least don't you?"

Misaki's eyes sparkled with an intensity not even she knew as she dragged Touma along. The boy in question though only looked more confused than anything, the girl smiling a smile more pure and radiant than anything else in the world. No, it was more than that.

To Touma, looking on at that smile of that girl who had asked him to accompany her for some reason or another, it truly looked like the smile of a girl who had finally been reunited with someone who had truly been lost for eons. The tight grip she was holding his hand with felt as though she was terrified letting him go would make him lost forever and it was the complete lack of understanding in that that Touma said nothing.

No, it was more than that.

It was the desire to ensure that this girl kept that smile on her face that he said nothing to her as she dragged him along. That pure and radiant smile was something he himself did not want the girl to lose but even though that strong desire came through him, there was something else he found himself asking.

"W-Well, yes, I do. But where are we going?"

"For a trip."

"A trip?"

Touma tilted his head in confusion but Misaki did not reply, only holding the boy's hand and he struggled to keep along as he held the remotes which had spilled from Misaki's bag in his other hand. Misaki though did not focus on that whatsoever, keeping her gaze forward while smiling the smile that reflected everything she was feeling right in this moment.

The words and the destination she had finally decided on were ones that likely had no meaning to Kamijou Touma.

But for the girl known as Shokuhou Misaki, it was something else entirely.

(Yes…a trip. Down memory lane.)

She had already had her first 'meeting' occur in much the same way as the original one. It was clear to her, what exactly she was going to do today and in what way she was going to do it as well, just from that first meeting she had had.

Yes.

She only had three days.

And in her own way, Shokuhou Misaki knew that this was the best way she could think of to start the time she had now with Kamijou Touma.

* * *

"The underground mall? You wanted to come here? I thought you said that you wanted to go places where you would find it hard to go by yourself?"

"Well…I was planning on going somewhere else but the state of my own physical ability, I have my doubts above my ability to reach there in one piece."

"?"

Kamijou Touma only tilted his head in confusion at the words which were given to him by Shokuhou Misaki. The two of them, even now, stood at the entrance of the underground mall after Misaki had dragged the spiky haired boy there but the words Misaki let out were accompanied by a glance to the side.

Naturally, this was not the second place where she had met Kamijou Touma. That was located up in District 21, two Districts away and as Misaki had said, the process of going from here in District 7 to that District and back to here for her intention of going down memory lane was something she would not have been able to handle with her lack of athletic ability.

Even if, during the incident that had involved Mitsuari Ayu, she had run around District 7 and made her way to District 21, the aching that her body had been left with after that harrowing experience was not exactly one she wanted to remember. And hence, because of that, the thought of fully replicating the time she had once had with Kamijou Touma by following it to the letter was not a plan she was willing to follow.

So, she had skipped where they had had their second meeting and skipped right to where they had had their third.

Th-There was nothing wrong with that after all. The present was different in the past and this had nothing to do with her giving up on going ALL the way to District 21 and then back here to the underground mall to where she had had her third meeting with Touma, as to follow her trip down memory lane exactly.

Nope, nothing at all.

"There are some shops that I wanted to check out within the mall, Kamijou-san. There are some disadvantages with being the #5 Level 5 within Academy City after all." Misaki said those words with a rather arrogant tone behind them as she bounded down the steps, practically dancing down them one at a time. Touma though, unable to read minds and unable to look at how happily that single girl was moving through the stairs only sighed and followed after her, a relaxed expression on his face as he moved.

"Is that so? As a Level 0, I can tell you that whatever problems you Level 5s have seem unimaginable. Then again, what with you being a Tokiwadai student like Misaka, that does give me the sense that there is some humanity do you there and makes your problems a bit more relatable."

"Just what do you think of Level 5s?" Misaki pouted as she jumped from the last step, turning and smiling towards Touma who only smiled back lightly. "At any rate, the main problem ability with me personally relates to my clique."

Touma only frowned at that. He had heard Misaka Mikoto mention something off hand in some rage driven argument about the girl in front of him having the biggest group within Tokiwadai but the details and how exactly being one of the most popular girls in the school was a problem for Misaki. Unlike Mikoto who attracted unfavorable attention in the form of one Shirai Kuroko, it seemed that Misaki was not a person who would tolerate anything she disliked and could not handle.

Hence, the idea that she would put up with a problem with her clique instead of just destroying the problem at the source, simply because it was an annoyance and an eyesore, seemed to be a bit different than the Shokuhou Misaki Touma had heard snippets of here and there.

"Your…clique?" Touma asked that question, Misaki nodding as she moved, however not in front of Touma, but rather by his side. He stared at her as she did so but Misaki herself had frozen in place, in mid-sentence and staring ahead without even looking at anyone else or saying anything either.

Here she was.

Her, Shokuhou Misaki, walking and talking with Kamijou Touma as if it were entirely natural. As if they were friends, people who had met and had a long lasting friendship which bound them together more than anyone else in this mall. Touma was staring at Misaki with nothing more than interest: perhaps it was his personality to want to keep an eye out for the problems of others that made him so attentive to what was troubling Misaki now.

But for Shokuhou Misaki, how long had she waited for this moment? For how long had she dreamed of it and how long had she wished for what was happening right now to her? The emotions within her heart and the desire to just break down with tears of happiness now that she had her miracle was something she desperately wanted to do; even now, the fleetingness of this moment and how it impacted her went beyond words.

But here she was.

Here Shokuhou Misaki was, feeling something she had never felt for such a long time and feeling that the emotion running through her now was such that it would tear her apart from the inside.

Right now, more than anything, Shokuhou Misaki was truly happy. Happy just for the chance to experience what she was now and happy for the chance to feel the emotion coursing through her chest as they were now.

Touma treated this as something casual, not even bothering to make note of how Misaki was walking by his side.

By for how long had Misaki wished for this very scene that she was a part of?

He would never know of these feelings unlike Misaki told him but the realization, the raw truth of what she was doing and what she was a part of now made her pause, treasuring the emotion which was coursing through her chest right as of this moment.

" – ou? Shokuhou?"

Her thoughts were brought back to the present by the sound of Touma's voice, the spiky haired boy waving his hand in front of her face and grabbing her lightly by the shoulder and shaking her. She blinked once, staring up at him as he looked back at her with concern.

"Are you OK? You sort of spaced out."

"Fine," Misaki's response was immediate and she knew that there were no lies whatsoever in those words. "I…I was just thinking to myself, is all."

"About that problem with your clique?" Touma asked, this time, more concern into his voice as he stared at her. Misaki only chose to smile back in response, she knew exactly where this was going if she chose to let it lead in this way and it was for the sake of protecting this small moment of calm that she shook her head.

"Hahahaha, it's not what you think, Kamijou-san. The problem with my clique is something small, well, it might be for a male such as yourself. But with a female with as much class ability as me, that is a different matter entirely."

"…Why do I get the feeling that you just subtly insulted me?" Touma pulled a sour face as he stared at the girl, Misaki only rising a finger and wagging it back and forth.

"Not at all. If I wanted to insult you, Kamijou-san, I wouldn't bother being subtle."

"I have no idea whether this makes me feel better or not! I've suddenly realized this, but being honest gives its own pains!"

Misaki only giggled in response to the rather active retort but only coughed into her hand before speaking once more.

"You see, Kamijou-san, the main problem ability that arises with my clique is that they are always trying too hard to please me." Misaki spoke of something that she rarely told anyone, but at the same time, was a problem so obvious that it was shocking that no one had ever even made not of it before to her.

Simply put, Shokuhou Misaki was the core of the biggest clique within Tokiwadai. The moment that she left Tokiwadai, the bonds that had formed between clique members were sure to become frayed and fall apart, or at the very least, become less tight as they were right now. While that in itself only suggested something wrong with the relationships between Tokiwadai students, there was something even more problematic with such a set up where Misaki constantly acted as the center of attention.

"? How is that a bad thing? Unless, of course, this is the type of problem only experienced by those high class ladies that live within Tokiwadai. Y-You really do live in a world entirely separate from us commoners, don't you?" Touma said with a shocked voice, only leaving Misaki to stare at him with a shocked gaze of her own.

"…What in the world is your impression ability of Tokiwadai? Then again, me saying that when you are using Misaka-san as a reference point for 'high class' leaves something to be desired." Misaki only showed how when she insulted someone she was rather overt about it but only continued. "It is an extremely bad thing, Kamijou-san. Like I said, while this might not be something you might experience given you status as a male, for females, it's entirely different."

"But how is it a bad thing? Don't try and tell me you're the type of high class lady who complains when their maids and butlers work too hard for them but berate them for slacking off."

"It's a bad thing, Kamijou-san," Misaki said while waving a finger in the air. "Because it means that there are times when they are not being honest with me as to ensure that they do not break the status quo ability. Yes, while I could read their minds using Mental Out to determine whether they are lying or telling me the truth is an option, doing that in response to everything I ask of them or do is more of a pain than anything. Do you understand? In a way, while I might have everyone trying to please me, that also works in reverse. In that they will never say anything to displease me, especially if it is an inconvenient truth ability."

Touma blinked once, however, the problem that Misaki had suddenly seemed a lot clearer to him.

If, for instance, Misaki asked a question of her clique, she would receive an answer. However, due to the fact that her entire clique was out to please her and stay by her side, the fact that she could not trust them due to how they did not want to rock the boat meant that the answer she got that was made to please her was such that she did not know if it was true, or simply said to please her. Yes, she could use Mental Out to fix that problem but doing that every single day and for every single question would be nothing more than a strain of her ability.

Touma only stared at her, thinking only one thing in the back of his mind.

She had the largest group of people around her, yet she was incredibly alone. Maybe because of her ability or maybe because of everyone trying to please her that she could distinguish between lies and truth, Shokuhou Misaki was such a person who was constantly looking for an honest opinion but was distrustful of everyone who said they had given her one.

And yet, amidst it all, she was telling him of all people this exact problem. Someone who she had met only a few days ago and been caught up in an incident with. The girl who was so alone and had no one to confide in was confiding in him alone and it made Touma somewhat confused.

Why do that?

For what reason would she tell him this when she barely knew him?

Touma did not know but the expression she was making and the ease of the words that came from her; it felt as though the honest trust she was showing Touma in this one moment were true and not withheld. But why to him? Various things came through Touma but most of all, it was the small instinct within him to protect this small girl and her smile.

She was alone, distrustful of everyone and yet choosing to trust him, a stranger. He had no idea why it was the case but the desire to be honest, to be truthful and to not betray this girl in front of him was a desire that shot through Touma; the desire to ensure that this girl could have the chance to smile and know that she was not being lied to and that, even if she had to go back to her clique, had someone she could rely on at the end of the day.

He was hardly the best choice: Touma knew that. There were certain to be other people in Misaki's life that she could rely on.

And yet, she had chosen him.

So he had to take responsibility for that. He had to embrace it and make sure that he did not betray her trust, answered her fully and honestly and never once let go of the small hand which was so terribly alone despite being surrounded by pity. Pitying her was likely only going to illicit negative emotions within the girl so it was with a sigh that Touma scratched the back of his head.

Once again, he had gotten caught into something trouble: having to be honest to a girl who had found herself surprisingly alone despite the people around her.

But like all his troubles, as long as it protected the smile of the person in front of him…he had no problem with that trouble being thrust his way. Even if she knew that she was not alone and that she could rely on him, then that in itself was going to be enough for Touma to know that he had managed to protect this girl's smile, even in part.

"And that's why you brought me along? To give you an honest opinion that your clique would not give you?"

"My," Misaki said while clapping her hands together in front of her plentiful chest. "You do catch on quickly."

"I don't understand why you don't ask someone else for this," Touma spoke in an exasperated tone. "I have no idea what exactly you need an honest opinion on, but getting one from a girl is something that has more value than one from me, doesn't it?"

"On the contrary," Misaki said, the stars in her eyes sparkling as she stepped up to Touma and leaned in closer to his ear, whispering the words into the boy's ear from extremely close.

"It means nothing if it doesn't make your heart race."

Touma went wide eyed, stepping back as he went red faced, staring at the middle schooler. His mouth open and close rapidly, Misaki grinning all the same herself as she pressed a finger against the boy's chest and drew circles with it against the cloth. The stars in her eyes seemed to sparkle with more intensity as she winked slightly and stepped back.

"Wh-Wh-Wh–"

"You're going to have to prepare for a lot more than that, Kamijou-kuuuuuuuuuun!" Misaki stretched out he honorific she had not used before in a teasing way, laughing to herself slightly as she stepped forward and spun, Touma still standing there with the same racing heart and the red face. Misaki cared not for it though as she spoke once more. "For the first round of wanting an honest opinion, the first shop we're going to go to…is this!"

Touma, unable to even react stared at the shop Misaki was indicating to as nothing more than an escape from the words she had said but the shop in front of him only made him go even more wide eyed.

It was a swimsuit shop.

Let me repeat that.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, the shop Kamijou Touma was now standing in front of was a swimsuit shop.

"My clique, no matter what swimsuit I have, says the same thing over and over again. But that entirely lacks criticism ability! I need to hear more: whether parts of me stick out too much or too little, whether the style matches the parts of me or whether or not the swimsuit looks good on me. Even though Tokiwadai is pretty strict about this at times, you can never once disregard the desire for a girl to at least see how she looks wearing something more than a school racing swimsuit! So, come, Kamijou-kun! Because I am going to be using every single bit of the obligation ability you have to me to – "

Shokuhou Misaki stopped moving forward as she felt something grip the back of her collar. She was forced to stop, turning around slowly and, sin an act rare for that Level 5, went entirely pale as she saw the monster there.

Even if he was trembling and red faced from the things Misaki had said, the dark aura hovering over the spiky haired boy was such that made Misaki pause.

…Had she gone too far?

Yes, while she had wanted to go down memory lane, the third meeting she had with that spiky haired boy in this underground mall was when the entire thing had been filled with water during the hot summer. Wearing a swimsuit with her undeveloped figure, she had spent most of the day with that spiky haired boy in such a state and it was nothing more than her wish to relive that memory once more than she had even suggested going into the swimsuit shop once again.

S-Sure, the thing that she had said about trying to make his heart race was a lie, she was happy and content just with what she was doing now, but the shivering that came over her now as she was held by the collar by Kamijou truly made her tremble.

"U-Um…Kamijou-san?"

"…You wanted me to be honest, right?"

The words came out rather stiff and rather rigid, Misaki feeling her back go straight and a sweat come over her entire body.

"Y-Yes…"

"Then let's start. I know!"

Touma turned and walked around, dragging Misaki behind him while still giving off the same aura that a parent might when they discovered that their child had been forging their high school results for the past few years.

"Let's begin with a nice loooooooooooooooong lecture on how to appropriately act around people who you barely know and the appropriate things to start with when you first ask them for their honest opinions. This might not be the same level as the Tokiwadai lectures…but I hope you can follow what I mean to say, Shokuhou-kun."

"W-Wait a minute. I was joking! It was a joke, just meant to get you a bit more eager to get into things. Wh-What kind of high school boy has the self-control ability to ignore the swimsuit shop scene!?"

"The kind of high school boy that has lived with misfortune long enough to know that curtains can never be trusted and that the knots of the edges of the top and the bottom are never tied properly! And what kind of middle school girl such as yourself has the lack of self-control ability to suggest something to someone she barely knows!? Do I need to call you Shokuhou 'Lessar' Misaki whenever I talk to you?!"

"Y-You just introduced the name of some random girl in the middle of our conversation!? Just how much do you get around!? And I said it was a joke, just something playful to help you relax."

"I'll give your head a good work out after we're done with this lecture. And yes! This is going to be my honest opinion!"

"K-Kamijou-san!? H-Hang on, while I might have gone too far and ahead of myself by visiting the third destination instead of the second, I don't think that this is necessary! School is supposed to be off, so I haven't thought one bit of getting a lecture outside of school. You kept me waiting for 90 minutes so you'll be getting a lecture as well!"

"When I'm done with you, I hope you can properly reflect on your actions!"

"K-Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"

If there was anything Shokuhou Misaki had never experienced in her life before, it had to be things moving at a pace where she could not take hold of the reins and change things in the direction she wanted at some point during the event.

In a way, her time with Kamijou Touma only showed her that she had to always expect the unexpected.

But in truth?

She loved it that way and would never accept anything less.

* * *

Party Member: Shokuhou Misaki.

Current status:

HP (Hit Points): 1

MP (Magic Power): 0

STR (Strength): 1

VIT (Vitality): 1

INT (Intelligence): 100

AGI (Agility): 0

DEX (Dexterity): 70

LUK: (Luck): 75

Current recommendations:

Attempt at all costs to avoid the special attack 'Lecture' by Party Member Kamijou Touma.

Shokuhou Misaki felt her soul leaving her as she sat at the table in the park. The lecture she had received at the hands of Touma had done more than just drain her; she felt so fragile that a simple touch would be enough to send her crumbling into pieces.

"Well? Don't tell me that the only reason you brought me along was so we could look at swimsuit shops under the pretense of me being honest with you. While I've got nothing against the honesty thing, I don't think we need to have another talk about the proper etiquette when it comes to inviting strangers to those types of shops."

Kamijou Touma sat at the same table, speaking and acting as if he were Misaki's guardian. While of a fashion that only showed that he truly cared for her wellbeing and wanted to make sure she did not get up to anything irresponsible, the lack of energy Misaki was feeling now entirely erased such thoughts of the consideration shown to her.

She only groaned, trying to nod her head but finding that nothing would make her move it.

Having moved from the underground mall given her lack of energy and the need for some fresher air, Touma had been the one to move her to this park. But even though the change of scenery was much appreciated, the students staring at the lifeless form of the #5 did not change. After all, seeing the Shokuhou Misaki in the flesh, let alone of the Level 5s was a rare occasion of itself.

Misaki noted none of it though as she propped up her head on the table, sweating rather lightly.

"O-Of course I had proper plans. As someone who commands an entire clique at Tokiwadai Middle School, the planning ability I have to manage each and every member and even new members means that I always think twelve steps ahead of any encounter and occasion I am involved in."

"Well then, O Great Shokuhou-sama, what exactly did you have planned for me? Because, as far as I can see it, if the only thing that you wanted from me was to visit swimsuit shops for honesty, then I'm leaving."

"…I can't believe you. What kind of high school boy voluntarily refuses to see a Level 5 in a swimsuit?"

"This high school boy! Not only are we basically strangers, but this Kamijou-san's misfortune only goes one direction! It's going to be 'Oh no, the curtain' or 'Can you tie this ribbon on my back' or 'Kyah, a man in a swimsuit shop'! One of those three! Maybe at the same time! This Kamijou-san has learned from prior experience, damn it. So, in the interests of trying to stop a trip to the hospital, there are going to be no events that are going to play with the heart of a fragile high school boy such as myself! Which means no swimsuit shops! I mean it!"

"You say that but the tears of blood that are leaking from your eyes reveal how disappointed you are. Did I make your heart skip a beat?" Misaki grinned but the only thing that Touma did was turn his head swat, the tears of blood that were leaking down his cheeks only showing his true feelings.

He had been this close.

THIS CLOSE!

Heaven was in front of him. Heaven and paradise that was the body of this girl who by all rights should not be in middle school showing off a swimsuit in front of him.

But he knew.

He knew exactly what was going to come from it and in the interests of preserving his own life, he was going to have none of it. If there was no danger whatsoever, he would have said 'yes' in a heartbeat. But with the words 'Level 5' and 'swimsuit' in the same sentence, unless it was in the negative sense, nothing good was going to come of it!

If it was Level 4 or below, then everything would have been fine.

But no.

Shokuhou Misaki was a Level 5.

So, seeing her in a swimsuit and thinking that he was going to come home alive?

He had a better chance of getting Index to eat her fill.

So, with much reluctance and using every single bit of self-control he had, Kamijou Touma acted as the rightful gentleman.

Yet the tears of blood only showed how he hated every single bit of it.

The redness of his face when he mentally imagined the scene he had just avoided was such that only made the redness from his eyes leak out every further, but he wiped the blood on his arm and coughed into his hand.

"R-Regardless!" Touma saying that and not answering the question of Misaki only made her smile a tiny bit. "Don't tell me the only thing you were planning was swimsuit shopping? Unless you want something to eat."

"Kamijou-san, I think you need some serious lecturing yourself if you think the only thing on the mind of a girl is her stomach."

Touma only tilted his head at the rather strict words of Misaki.

"Hmm? So, you're not hungry? If that's the case, then what did you want to do?"

"Now hold on, Kamijou-san. Who ever said I wasn't hungry? I was simply pointing out something that was fundamentally wrong with your line of thinking. Just because someone such as myself has had her plans for the day ruined does not mean that I do not need to eat."

"So basically, the entire plan was swimsuit shopping?! And if you were hungry anyway, why did you bother getting so strict with me!?"

"No reason. I just wanted to see your reaction ability."

"I don't know whether this is teasing or just who you normally are! Can't I get a straight answer!?"

Touma yelled that into the air in a statement that made him only further confused about the nature of girls. Were they hungry? Were they not hungry?! Please God, if Touma had wanted honesty from any single human being, it was from the girl in front of him simply so he could properly understand the female gender a bit more than he already did. N-No, in fact, if all girls had the ability to be honest with him, Touma felt that the problem level in his life would decrease by such a substantial amount.

But given how Misaki was refusing to be honest with him and expected him to be honest with her, the only thing that Touma was turned into was a boy who was on the verge of tearing out his hair from the confusing words of Misaki.

Misaki on the other hand only felt something rising in her chest, the laughter that came from her echoing in the air. She held her stomach, finding nothing particularly funny about the over the top and excited reaction from Touma…but the fact that he was making it in response to something Misaki had said was the only thing she needed.

How long had she waited for this scene? For how long had she waited and longed for the scene happening in front of her now? She did not know but now that it was in front of her, the laughter which came from her was so true and such a weight of her shoulders that it truly felt as though it was a laugh she had been holding back for so long, suddenly being released into the air with nowhere to go but forward.

Tears came to her eyes from the laughter but was the laughter only the real cause? Misaki did not know but she did not care, only finding herself losing herself in this one moment with herself here and Touma by her side.

The boy in question only felt more confused at the confusing nature of the girl in front of him. Swimsuit shopping, just satisfied and laughing her heart out from him reacting to things she said…there was something more there. Something else that she was seeing here compared to him and because he could not read minds unlike her, there was no way he could tell what it was.

But even then, the smile on Shokuhou Misaki's face seemed truer than anything right now.

But why she was making it in front of him was something Touma could not possibly comprehend.

"Ah, ahhhh, I needed that. Ah, I so needed that. I have no idea…how long it has been since I laughed like that."

Misaki wiped the tears from her eyes as she spoke, finding that the sides of her cheeks hurt from too much smiling. However, she knew that she could not stop; finding this small moment and the small connection she had with Touma in this one moment so powerful and significant that she would not even dare to lower that smile for anything.

Touma seemed more perplexed than anything but only chose to smile.

Whatever worth this moment had to Misaki was beyond him but she was truly happy. In the end, for that spiky haired boy was there anything else he really needed?

Yet, there was something. Something in that laughter.

To Kamijou Touma, that sound had truly sounded like the laughter of a child who had finally been giving everything she ever wanted and could no longer hold back the happiness she had inside of her.

And in the face of that, there was nothing he could do hold back his own small smile at that.

Touma slowly removed his hands where they were ripping out his spiky hair and paced them on the table. He sighed before looking at Misaki with one eye.

"Well? Are you done yet?"

"No, not yet." The answer was strangely, hurriedly given, as if Misaki were trying to hold onto him as much as she could. "I…I wouldn't mind something to fill my stomach. The waiting in the morning and the lecture you gave me certainly did a number of my energy."

"What, is your HP 0 or something? Well, it is around time for something to eat for morning tea," Touma turned his head around the park where the two of them were for some stall where the two of them could grab something to eat but it was with some disdain that he only found one stall that he could afford. "What do you want?"

"That popcorn stall over there."

"?!"

Touma was the one most surprised at that, to the extent that he rose his hands into a fighting gesture, stepped back and trembled slightly.

"A-A Tokiwadai ojou-sama wanting something as lowly as popcorn for the commoners?! Y-You aren't lowering yourself to the level of the typical masses to increase the heartrate of this Kamijou-san are you?!"

Misaki only pulled a sour face of her own as she stared at that single boy making that comment.

"Again, what exactly do you think of Tokiwadai students? You need to fix that impression ability of yours."

"So you don't stuff your face with high quality sweats and drink tea every occasion you can get?!"

Misaki wanted to make a comment but realizing that that description rather suited her only felt a cold sweat form over her entire body. She twitched but realized that that was the first mistake she had made: if she wanted to get away with this, she had to play it cool and collected. Yet, even though that was her aim, Touma had already noticed it, going wide eyed and backing away even further and trembling even more.

"A-A proper ojou-sama. Someone who has the quality of a proper high class lady has appeared in front of me and yet she wants to eat commoner popcorn!? Aren't you supposed to laugh at everyone who eats such lowly products and slap us in the face with the éclair that has golden flakes in it, sitting on top of the commoners who have been defeated while you do so!?"

"Wh-What is up with that impression ability!? A-Although I would not mind trying the éclair you so noted, there is a fundamental difference between me and that image you have in your head!"

"Oh!" Touma put a fist into his open palm with the look of someone who had finally uncovered a detail that had gone unnoticed until now. "That's right. Since Tokiwadai isn't co-ed, the ones you'd be sitting on top of would be all lower class ojou-samas."

"Do you insist on mocking me no matter what I say?"

"No. I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Why yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Misaki grabbed and tore at her own hair but stopped halfway through, seeing Touma looking at her with a smile on his face. He grinned fiercely, Misaki only realizing that he had pulled the exact same thing and the exact same trick she had on him. It was with a cute pout that she crossed her arms, turning her head and blew the lock of hair that had entered her field of vision with the dissatisfaction clear on her face.

Touma though, only grinned further, leaning forward with a sparkle in his own eye as she walked towards the pouting Misaki.

"Oh? What's this? This isn't very high class of you; the fact that the upper class can dish it out but can't take it in is rather amusing, wouldn't you agree?"

"…I'm not talking to you."

The wordplay and the turn of the situation back to Misaki that Touma had done truly made the girl's heart race. Not because she had experienced a back and forth she had had with the boy so many times before but merely because it was that small interaction that made her realize just how much she lowered her guard when it came to being around that spiky haired boy.

It was frustrating.

The way her heart raced and the way she was around Kamijou Touma…it had been so long since she had felt so refreshed and not even with Dolly did Misaki feel as though nothing else mattered but her and this boy. The relaxing of her guard, the fact that she could have these conversations once more; it only made her realize one thing.

How long had she been sitting on her feelings and had held onto them with everything she had? It was frustrating to know that she was still a child in that sense…but it was because of that childishness that she knew she would never seek to remove from herself as long as she lived because of how truly happy it made her on the inside.

Her reaction now was only more childishness but even then, had the small remnants of the trust and the connection she felt with Touma in front of her.

Touma only stared at her from various angles but Misaki constantly moved her head out of the way each and every time to avoid staring at his face. it was after a while that Touma stopped but the grin on his face only stayed on his face all the same before he shook his head.

"Well, I guess there's no helping it. Popcorn it is."

Touma said those words but followed them up with a single movement.

He placed his hand on the head of the middle school girl who was pouting so hard.

Immediately, the blush from the contact erupted in Misaki's heart but she refused to let it show on her face. Doing so would be the ultimate defeat in her eyes but the warmth she felt, the protection and the strength behind that single hand on her head made her want to collapse then and they, taking Touma with her and just lie with him on the ground grinning all the same. He ruffled her hair in a childish way and while Misaki would be caught dead with anyone else doing that to her, with this single boy, it was fine.

She had waited so long for something like this.

She had treasured and wanted this moment more than anything else in the world. It was more than she could ask for and it was with a hidden smile on her face that she received the ruffling of her hair, not even caring that it was messing up the hairstyle she had worked so hard to get right.

"Are you sure about your choice of condiments?"

"Condiment is not used interchangeably with the word food!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Touma grinned once more, tapping the head of Misaki as she realized that she had once more reacted to something Touma had clearly wanted her to react to. Once more realizing how much she let her guard down around him, it was with some grumbling underneath her breath that she nodded, but even then, could not ignore the racing that was going through her heart right now.

But it meant nothing in the face of the next few words that from that spiky haired boy.

"Wait for me. I'll be right back."

Shokuhou Misaki froze at those mere words.

She looked up and saw the spiky haired boy wave to her and walk up to the popcorn stall, a stall she and him had been to so many times before he had lost his memories of her. No, this park had special memories for her: it was where she had had many an adventure with that boy and also where she had acquired the silver whistle she still kept even now in her bag. This was a place where the two of them had spent so much time together and had so many memories that it had been a must in her journey down memory lane, even if it meant nothing to Touma.

But those words he had said…

There was something in them, something only Misaki could understand and only she could place value on. She felt herself look up and stare at the boy as he desperately tried to tell the person at the counter that his card wasn't out of cash, but the machine was not working but even those troubles were lost on that girl.

No, everything was lost on her. She did not take in the scenery, the location she was in or the fact that she was once more in a place where she had held so many memories of that boy. None of that mattered to her and it was only those simple words that remained.

Wait for me.

They were ironic, but they did not sting as badly as Misaki thought they would. She had waited for so long and a miracle had happened to her so the fact that he had to say those words when her waiting was over meant nothing, yet still managed to put a smile on her face. She placed an elbow on a table and leaned on it, smiling all the smile as she stared at the misfortune filled boy tearfully getting out his wallet for the sake of treating them both to some popcorn.

"Wait? You have no idea how long I've done that, my Prince."

Misaki spoke soft words and it was now that the boy was not looking that she dared to let the redness that was blaring through her chest onto her cheeks. A sensation blossomed through her chest now that it was released but even as Misaki stared and felt those things, it was the words she spoke that held the greatest meaning to her right now.

"But for this, for what I have now, I will always wait for you. and I'll always be waiting for you to come back."

Her waiting, for now, was over.

And it was merely because of that that the smile on Shokuhou Misaki's face felt greater than anything else she had ever felt she had smiled.

* * *

Memory lane was not necessarily a good place.

As Misaki spent the rest of the day wandering from place to place within District 7 for the sake of recalling the past she had once held with that spiky haired boy next to her who did not realize the worth in what she was doing, it was the alleyway Misaki was standing in front of that hammered in that reality into her mind.

Here.

Here was where everything had ended for her.

No, it was not really this alley, but rather the building that she could see in the distance and the rooftop that gave a somewhat limited view of Academy City's District 7 from there.

It had been there where everything had ended for Shokuhou Misaki.

It had been here that Kamijou Touma had placed his life on the line for her while facing the Queen Divers who had felt their lives were ruined due to the subtle effects of her AIM field.

It had been here where he had face the enemies that had sought to end the life of Misaki and fought for her sake and her sake alone.

It had been here where the feelings inside her had started to blossom.

And…

And…

And...

It had been here where Kamijou Touma had lost his memories of her.

Unable to withstand the wounds which he had sustained, he had gone into shock with no way of removing the shards of shrapnel that had made their way into his stomach.

So, Shokuhou Misaki had made the decision to save that boy's life.

She had cut off his sense of pain.

As a result, however, she had entirely cut off the section of his mind that related to her, leading to the issues of his memories of her, which (for now) had been resolved.

The time that she was spending with Touma right now was time that had been given to her through some form of miracle. It was time that she had been granted for at least three days and it was a time that she was willing milk with everything she had and take in every single small bit on the off chance that him remembering her was only a temporary experience.

Which meant that the alleyway and the building where the last moments of Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma had played out were not a place she could visit. Was that because she was reluctant to visit that place due to the memories that she had of there?

Or was it because, even if it was ridiculous to think of in this City of Science, that there was a bad omen in going there? That visiting that place would only give the world the chance to once more torment her by saying that the memories Touma had of her now were only temporary?

She did not know.

But that place was a place she could not touch.

No matter what.

She simply wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as it would last.

"? Shokuhou? Are you feeling OK?"

Touma next to her noticed that the girl had stopped, staring down into the alleyway in front of them. the boy only tilted his head and approached it, turning back to the girl who was standing rather stock still, yet with an unreadable expression on her face.

"You've been leading me around this entire time but now you want to go down an alleyway? Since when did Tokiwadai become a place where connoisseurs of alleyways and darkness gathered?"

"Don't liken the atmosphere of a high class girl's school with your personal experience ability, Kamijou-san." Misaki shot back playfully, leaving Touma trying to deny what she said but finding that it was rather impossible given how much he ran down said alleyways. He fell to his knees, having taken major damage but the action was not even noticed by Misaki who stared forward, biting her lip slightly as he stared in front of her.

"That is a place that I cannot tread."

"?"

"But never mind. …I've already taken up too much of your time today, Kamijou-san. It might be selfish, but there is just one more place that I would like to go. Naturally, if that is alright with you."

"Um…Sure." Touma responded naturally but even then, the melancholic gaze as Misaki looked at that alleyway only bothered him the more he thought about it. However, given that the only time that he had seen her happy was when they had been moving, the simple cause and effect of the events that had taken place only shone within his mind and made him say the words he needed to. "But where are we going? I'd like to know that at the very least if this is going to be our last destination."

Shokuhou Misaki only turned to Kamijou Touma but even then, the light in her eyes held the same melancholic light. Yet, there was something else in there; a faint trace of happiness and recollection that had seemed to be present throughout the entire time they had been together.

Before Touma could get a word in, Misaki had already spoken.

"A beginning."

* * *

"Uhhh…"

"Why in the world did you collapse already? Don't tell me you were pushing yourself this entire time!? I have no idea whether to categorize this as being an example of pure determination of complete being entirely unathletic. Weren't you the one that wanted to come here in the first place? What about curfew for you Tokiwadai ojou-samas?"

"I'm the Queen of Tokiwadai Middle School and Mental Out. If all else fails, I'll just erase the memory ability of breaking curfew from my dorm manager's mind or the members of my clique will manage to cover for me. Not to mention with the festival going on, the hours are extended for the students to enjoy themselves. Tokiwadai isn't entirely a prison you know… it's just a little bit of one."

"…Well, I guess that covers for you then."

"But getting to where we need to be and back before my curfew of 9 pm is going to be a hopeless task."

"Then why did you raise my hopes like that?! Also, 9 pm? I have a roommate whose anger increases exponentially by the second after 6:30 so can we please just leave this here and go back home?"

"Unbelievable. Look at the position you are in and think about how many people would kill to be where you are, boys and girls alike. And you want to go home?"

"Owowowowowowow! I-If you grind my temples like that with your fists when we're in this position, it seriously hurts! Stop it! Or I'll throw you like a hammer throw event and send you hurtling towards your dorm, damn it!"

Kamijou Touma yelled that into the air on the mountain path the two of them were on.

The scenery had changed entirely and it was the forests of District 21 that surrounded them now, the mountain trail that the two of them were walking along giving a nice calming contrast to the massive city of concrete that they usually lived in. No, actually, looking at the position the two of them were in, it was not the two of them walking.

It was one of them walking and the other one resting.

Shokuhou Misaki had not even lasted 10 minutes after walking up the mountain path's slope. Probably because of the constant walking she had done with Touma up until now, her unathletic nature had caught up to her and it had been spectacularly that she had collapsed to the ground in a heap of exhaustion. It was only through constant reminding that she was fine and that she wanted to keep going that Touma even agreed to helping her along the mountain path…and even more persuasion to get him to assume the position he was right now.

Trudging along, with each heavy step, Kamijou Touma currently had the #5 Level 5 of Academy City, Shokuhou Misaki, on his back.

With her thighs and butt in his hands and her breasts pressing up against his back, it was all the spiky haired boy could do to restrain himself and focus on the task at hand, but with his beating heart, the doubt that this girl was in middle school and a focus on the objective he had, it was all Touma could do prevent himself from focusing too much of the various sensations that surrounded him.

Still though, that did not stop him from almost passing out from the position he was in right now. In that sense, he really was a pure boy that had the best of intentions, but it was more often than not that his objections were not listened to.

"Where is everybody though?" Touma, trying anything to avoid focusing too much on the soft and warm feeling in his hands and on his back, focused on something else. With turns of his head as he walked up the mountain, the desolation and the isolation the two of them were experiencing as Touma walked was too unnatural for him to think it was natural. "There's a limit to how barren this place can be."

"Surprisingly, I've been up here a few times and it is always like this, although it might have to do with the fact that there is high automation ability for facilities like this."

"You've been up here before?" Touma caught on something Misaki said as she leaned against the boy's back. His heart was racing and it made her smile slightly to know that she was having this effect on him. she closed her eyes as she rested her head against his back and answered softly.

"A few times."

There was silence as Touma kept to himself and Misaki thanked him for that. She had no idea what in the world he was thinking about all this; she was a stranger to him despite him remembering her and given how fast Misaki had moved, it was all she could do to treasure this day with everything she had.

The day had almost passed and despite Misaki wanting to let it last forever, she knew that today would end and tomorrow would take its place.

But even so, she wanted to remember this.

She wanted to remember the sensation of the warmth of this boy's back and how strong it was as it lifted her along. She wanted to take in this strength, the power he radiated and lose herself in it for the simple purposes of that she wanted to always be beside it and always have it with her for the rest of her life. The simple feeling of security, the simple connection that was given to her as she rested her head against that back was beyond anything she could ever feel and she rose her hands to Touma's back, letting herself lightly grab onto his clothes and take in his scent.

She never wanted to let go.

That was a desire more than anything she had ever felt in her life and it was so strongly within her that Misaki was sure that letting herself let that go would crush her.

So she wanted to take in as much as she could.

The strength of his back.

The warmth he gave off.

The scent that came with him and only him.

The vibration of his voice.

And most importantly…

The memory of their time together.

And it was this destination that would bring that entirely to a head.

"Well…here we are. This Kamijou Express has reached its destination. All passengers are requested to let themselves off slowly."

Touma spoke mechanically and it was with reluctance that Misaki opened her eyes and let go of that boy's back as he lowered her to the ground. She smiled at him as she gently hopped off but did not manage to do it as gracefully as she would have liked: her lack of energy because of the walking she was doing had been too much of a burden and she stumbled slightly.

Falling right into the chest of Touma as he reached out to catch her.

She stood there, in his light embrace for a single moment, feeling herself almost frozen in time. Her heart was racing beyond anything that she had ever felt and the blush that was on her cheeks was such that she knew it would take a lot for it to die.

Her mouth trembled, unable to form words and it was without hesitation that Misaki closed her eyes, forcing herself to take in everything about this single moment and remembering it for all it was worth. The warmth, the strength and the sensation; she remembered all of it.

Oh how long she wanted to stay like that.

It was rather amusing.

Despite her personality of lightness and teasing, when it came to a big enough shock, that entirely left her. The shock of this day and the miracle that had been given to her now, it was all too much and even now, her mind was troubling to come to terms with it all. She made no cheeky remark or chose to tease Touma on how her breasts were pressing against him the only thing she wanted to do was lose herself in the here and now.

But, like everything, this had to end sometime.

Like waking up from a dream, strong hands gripped her shoulders and slightly pulled back. Misaki blinked, turning her head up and seeing that Touma was looking away as he pushed her away but the red of his cheeks was still unmistakable.

"Y-You better watch out. It's clear that you still haven't gotten your strength back, so you might want to take a seat instead of trying to move too much."

Misaki held out a hand and it lingered in the air, as if wanting to return to that chest which she had been thrust from. It hovered in the air for a single moment before it dropped and Misaki stepped back herself with a single nod.

"Yes. You're absolutely right." Misaki did not waste time with extra words, sitting herself down so she could get a look at exactly what she had been here to see. Touma, after a small while sat next to her and pointed with his hand at the object in the distance.

"You came here all the way to see that?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I told you," Misaki said as she turned to Touma. "This…was a beginning for me. A very, very, very important…and treasured beginning."

Touma only tilted his head in confusion but turned once more, eyeing the object in the distance bur realizing that it was not going to have any worth unless Misaki told him what it meant to her. To him, while this location had a single memory associated with it, what it meant to Misaki was entirely unknown to him.

The only thing he knew that was that this location was the facility known as the Ground Geo experimental geothermal power station.

At the peak of one of the numerous mountains in District 21, the artificial lake in front of the two of them as they sat underneath the evening sky had concrete edges and in the middle of said lake, a metal tower stabbing into the water's surface. Although it looked more like a blasphemy of nature, the metal rod was instead a heat conducting rod and used for the purposes of geothermal power.

Only one thing came to mind to Kamijou Touma as he sat there and looked at the facility: the name of the esper known as Mitsuari Ayu.

The details were vague to him, even now, but this was where the incident with that esper had ended. That was the only thing that Touma had to say about this location, but for the girl sitting by his side, it was more than that.

So much more.

After all, this was where she had met Kamijou Touma for the 'first' time.

Although their real first meeting had been an accident at an intersection which had caused its own incident, it had been here, at a crossroads in her life that Misaki had truly met that spiky haired boy for the first time. It had been here where she had forged a bond with him that would last for an entire summer before cruelly being ripped away from her. It had been here where she had met someone who would affect her in the way he always affected her and it was here that something had occurred, something that Misaki had noted truly.

What had happened here was a beginning.

The beginning of the story between Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma.

This had also been an ending too.

An ending to the incident with Mitsuari Ayu and her revenge against Misaki but that was something else entirely.

It had been here that Misaki could say that everything had started for her.

Here, at this place.

And right now, she was once more at that crossroads.

Not with the boy Touma had previously been: he was dead along with his memories. No, she was here with the boy Touma had become, the boy who was sitting right next to her and had no idea exactly of the beginning she had once had with him.

She had felt that this was a trip down memory lane where Misaki had gone to the places that she had been with the old 'Touma' for the sake of reliving the memories she had once had with those locations, even if they were hers and hers alone to remember.

But now as Misaki recalled that final memory, or perhaps the first memory she had to recall, there was something else she now realized.

She hadn't gone to those locations with the new 'Touma' for the sake of going down memory lane.

But rather for the sake of making new memories with the person he had become at the places where she had once been with the 'Touma' who had once been and was now gone.

The time she had once spent with that spiky haired boy was a time she treasured more than anything else.

But it was also the present, here and now, that Misaki treasured as well.

She had the chance to redo their meetings. Redo everything and make new memories with that spiky haired boy at the locations she had once been at with the 'new' spiky haired boy. She had the chance to relive and make new memories that had made her heart swoon and her face blush at the places which had meant so much to her, places which now only held so much more of an impact because of the new memories she had once had there.

This was not only going down memory lane.

It was setting out and creating a new track of memories with that spiky haired boy once more. With the 'new' person he was and the 'new' chance of a first meeting, Misaki was going to make damn well sure that she filled the places where she had once held memories with the old 'Touma' with memories of the new 'Touma', the one who was here right now and not perished in the loss of his memories.

It was a journey of both melancholy and rebirth.

Recalling the old while simultaneously filling it with the new.

Both a goodbye to those old memories and a greeting to those new ones she now had with that spiky haired boy sitting by her side.

That was the reason behind Misaki's plan and desire to choose the locations she had for today. And, just as she had expected, that boy did not disappoint, only filling her with so much more emotions and memories now that she had revisited those special places in her heart.

Was that why she had avoided that alleyway?

For fear that where she had bid goodbye to the old 'Touma', the memory that would be made with the new 'Touma' would only prove to be more painful than the one that currently fit inside of her mind now?

Misaki did not know.

But this was her beginning.

And she was once more sharing it with that spiky haired boy, filling the place of old memories with new ones with that new spiky haired boy.

"Shokuhou?" He spoke, his voice addressing her only making Misaki wanting to leap for joy. She contained herself, only choosing to elegantly answer.

"Yes?"

"Are you OK?"

"Of course." Misaki frowned, turning to face Touma and finding that he was looking straight at her with a look of concern. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just… For the entire day, it has felt like you've been looking at something beyond where we've been. Like there was something else inside that underground mall. Like there was something else there inside that park and that alleyway and everywhere else we went. I feel as though…you've not always been here if you know what I mean. Even at Ground Geo, it feels more like you've been looking at something beyond what I'm seeing. I can't say I know what it is that you're looking at but the smile that you make when you do look at it…it feels like there's a sadness there that you've been feeling but I can't touch and save you from. Like it's something that only you can deal with but is rushing you underneath its weight."

Misaki stared at Touma in part surprise. Had she been like that? Had she, when visiting those locations, looked at the places where she had once been with the old 'Touma' and felt a stab of melancholy as she looked at those places? She didn't feel it herself but maybe, in her mind, there was a form of sadness.

After all, by visiting the locations she had once spent with the old 'Touma' and filling them with memories of the new 'Touma', was she not discarding those old memories and replacing them, updating them even? Was she merely filling the memories on her mind with the newer model and had gotten bored with the older one?

It was a cruel thing to do, but looking at what she was doing now, it was one way to view and interpret her actions even if she hadn't realized it and it had not been her intention.

But was that where her sadness had come from? Had it come from a subconscious understanding that she was saying goodbye to her old memories and filling them with new ones?

She could not say but even then, she felt a smile come onto her face.

Even if that was the case and she was filling her mind with new memories, there were some things that never changed.

Even now, this boy next to her had the desire to save her.

Misaki sat there in silence for a single moment, considering what it was that Touma had said before taking a deep breath. The things she was looking at beyond the places she had been and even beyond Ground Geo in front of the two of them now were such that Touma had no idea of. Yet, he had the observation skills to understand and know that there was something wrong with Misaki as she looked at those locations.

He was confused and part of him knew that there was nothing he could do about it because what was eating at Misaki only she knew of and there was nothing he knew of what had happened to her.

Which only meant that there was one course action to resolve this issue.

Misaki sighed, falling back and spreading her arms out on the grass beneath her as she looked at the stars above. What was her expression now? As she stared above her, did she still have that look of someone looking beyond what she was looking at with a look of melancholy as she filled her mind with new memories?

There was a small silence, neither party wanting to say anything to disturb the other before it was finally broken by the sound of the voice of the girl with honey blonde hair.

"A long, long time ago, there was a single girl." Misaki started, not even bothering to look at Touma but hearing the shift in the grass was enough to tell her that he was all ears. She continued. "This girl had everything. Good looks, lots of friends, a killer body. In fact, she was so revered and respected that no one dare to look down on her and talk back to her. She was perfection ability personified and everywhere she went, there was not a single person who did not know her name and did not look at her with jealousy."

"O…kay…"

"Let's call this girl 'Misaki'."

"I was trying to avoid going in that direction, but couldn't you have just skipped that beginning bit?!"

Touma yelled that out into the air and Misaki let out a small laugh of her own in response to it.

"Whatever the case, this girl had everything. However, at some point, she started to think that it wasn't worth it. The problems that surrounded her, the things that happened to her, she got sick of it all. Sick of everything around her that, for a single moment, she felt as though it wasn't something she was willing to continue thinking about. Sick of memories, relationships, this girl was prepared to erase everything inside her head to merely be freed from those thoughts within her. She was, of a fashion, willing to give into her cowardice ability and truly do something irreversible."

There was silence from Touma as Misaki spoke, the girl only closing her eyes and silently thanking him for his discretion in that manner.

"Yet, she was stopped. Someone came up to her and stopped her in the most unorthodox of ways." A smile came upon her face. as she spoke, keeping her eyes closed the entire time. "And with that, the girl chose to not give into her emotions and remained as she was, remained as the person she chose to be. However, although she owed the person she was now to the person who had spoken to her, that was not to be their last meeting. No, not at all."

The wind blew and ruffled her hair a tiny bit, but it was the coolness of the breeze that made Misaki pause for the faintest of moments.

"They met many times after that. So many, many times. And each time was more fun that the last. I could give you a novel on the list of the things they did…but alas, as the world would have it, even that had to come to an end."

"An…end?" The words were said carefully and Misaki let out a slow nod as she lay on the ground and sighed.

"Yes. Something happened to that person. An accident. And, as a result, that person forgot all about this person called Misaki. Not a shred remained. Whenever that person saw Misaki and turned away, they would never remember her. They would simply forget and seeing her again would not restore that lost memory ability. For all intents and purposes, despite having everything, Misaki lost the time she had with that person and was never to regain to again. That person, lost and always forgetting her, knew nothing. And with that, Misaki was content. Happy that said person was alive but sad knowing that she could never stand by his side. She was not angry, frustrated sand bothered crying her eyes out. She was just…content. Satisfied that said person was alive and nothing else. She wanted nothing more than for said person to be able to remember her once more but even with her ability, that seemed impossible. And that…was the end of the story with Misaki and that person."

"I…see…"

Touma said nothing. No, what in the world could he say to that? There was nothing he could find in his mind to say to the words being said to him and it was with a somewhat shameful gaze that he looked out over the artificial lake over the cover of night.

Words like 'I'm sorry' and 'I understand' were meaningless. In the former case, there was nothing to be sorry for, it was simply what had happened. Misaki had said that she was satisfied and although the result was something she would have wanted to avoid, the person she was talking about was still alive. Hence, saying the words 'I'm sorry' rejected that result: rejected the fact that someone was alive despite the result. And in the latter case, he could he be so cold and say that? He understood? What part of this issue did he understand? Always being forgotten by someone you wanted to spend time with…it was something Touma knew would break him.

And yet, this girl had managed to endure this entire time.

A new perspective came into view when it came to the one girl sitting by him, a new respect, but even then, he frowned. There was something edging in the back of his mind, something strange and something he knew he could not ignore.

"At least, that was supposed to be the end."

"Huh?"

Touma frowned even deeper as Misaki opened her eyes, staring at the sky overhead.

"Something happened. I don't know what but something changed. Whatever miracle occurred and whatever fortune ability was granted to that girl called Misaki, the girl called Misaki did not know. But the only thing that she knew was that she was lost in happiness. Because the chance to once more stand by the person who had always forgotten her had once more been given to her after she had longed for it for so long."

"R-Really!?"

Touma had that reaction more than anything else, something within his heart rising as he stared down at the starry eyed girl. He felt his heart race but even then, confusion filled it and a partial aspect of anger did as well.

"W-Well, then what are you spending time with me for, you idiot?" Touma roared that into the air, standing up and Misaki looked at him. Simply that but the fact that she was only doing that and not spending time with the person who had forgotten her who now had the chance to remember her was something Touma could not simply ignore. "You wasted an entire day with me!? Are you insane? Wasting the chance that was given–"

Touma stopped in mid-sentence, finding that his words had stopped without him wanting them to. No, there was something else there, something else that he was forgetting and something else that was strange despite it all.

Something…something…something…

Yesterday.

He had spotted someone on the street and had a conversation with them. Someone he did not know and someone had only met recently. And yet…

 _"But… it sounds like you were expecting me to forget you… that's the strange part."_

He had said those words. Said those words to someone who had acted as though he should have forgotten whoever he was saying them to.

And the person who he had said those words to…

"No."

"So that girl, Misaki as we called her," The words only came out smoothly as Misaki stared at Touma but more than anything, he felt the weight of those words weigh down on him more and more. "Decided to make the most of the opportunity ability given to her."

"You can't mean…"

"And so, now that that person remembered her, the one thing the girl called Misaki did was ask that person for the chance to restart their first meeting. A chance to start again. A chance…to once more 'begin' the story of that person and Misaki."

"B-But – "

"Apparently, there is the chance that this period of said person remembering Misaki is temporary. A three day limit has been placed and so, Misaki, with that in mind, decided to make new memory ability with the person she so longed to spend time with. We never did name that person who had forgotten Misaki, did we?"

Misaki asked that simple question silently as she stared at Touma who had gone pale as a sheet and was trembling so hard it looked as though simply pushing him would cause him to fall over and be lost in the wind of District 21. He gulped and he felt his breathing escalate but as he did that, Misaki only spoke once more, her voice so soft that it could have been lost on the wind.

Yet, Kamijou Touma heard it.

"Do you want to have a guess what it was?"

He trembled, finding his throat dry as he stepped back, tripping on nothing and landing on his butt in the grass. Sweat came down from his face as he opened his mouth but finding that nothing came out. No, he dare not even speak and it was the trembling throughout him that prevented him from uttering even a word.

"You can't…be serious."

"Why not?" Misaki sat up now, turning and facing Touma as he sat on the ground, shaking his head and backing away slightly.

"I…I would remember that. I would remember you!"

"And yet, you did not. The accident you were in so long ago caused irreparable damage to your brain centered around me. At least, it was supposed to be irreparable. But with the incident that happened a few days ago, it seemed to have provided the trigger ability to allowing yourself to remember me."

"W-Wait! E-Even if I believe you and even if that is the case…" Touma opened his mouth but found that nothing would come out. There were numerous questions in the back of his mind, numerous things that he had to say as he questioned the validity of the words Misaki was giving him.

But even then, even if there was nothing suggesting that what Misaki was saying was true (given that he could remember it), there was nothing saying that she was lying either. After all, for what possible reason could she have for lying to him about this issue? An issue which was clearly one that had affected her deeply so the idea that, in the event of whoever this person who had forgotten her was remembering her, she would choose to spend the day with someone else was ridiculous.

No, it was more than that.

It was downright impossible.

Shokuhou Misaki had no reason to lie. Not about something as important and dear to her as this.

Meaning that there was only one thing Kamijou Touma could deduce.

That she was not lying.

And that he, through some accident, had forgotten her entirely, only able to remember her, again, through some accident.

"Holy…"

Touma breathed that out, Misaki approaching slowly and taking his hands into hers. There was fright in his eyes, guilt and almost fear as she took his hands. Of course, all those emotions Misaki had expected: fright from the fact that he had had no idea about the loss of memories Misaki was telling him about, guilt in that he had forgotten her in the first place and fear in that Misaki held information about him even before he had lost his memories which she was clearly going to share.

But even then, Misaki only spoke softly, stroking the boy's hands and reaching out with her own hand to touch the boy's cheek.

"It's OK. It's OK. You must have a lot of questions. And I've been waiting for the longest time to answer them."

Shokuhou Misaki only smiled but even then, in the moonlight, the light reflecting off the single tear as she smiled gave off the impression of a girl who had finally, finally, managed to get everything she had ever wanted.

"I've been waiting for you, Kamijou Touma. So…let's make this yet another beginning of the story between you and me."

* * *

The night, even though it was late, felt young to the girl who walked with the boy by her side, clinging to his arm. Even though on a normal occasion, he would have reacted to that, it was with some tiredness and guilt in his eyes that he let the girl stay exactly as she was without saying a word.

He had learned a lot.

And in the process, he had learned of the heartbreak he had given a single girl without ever once realizing it. Touma himself could not even remotely think about the mental strength that would have come with the things Misaki had endured and lived through and yet, here she was, by his side even after the pain he had given her.

It seemed beyond him. That was his true assessment. It was beyond him to have someone so caring and willing to wait for him as Misaki had been and it was beyond words the devotion and the willingness to wait for him that Misaki had. But that in itself only made him feel worse than he had ever felt before for having betrayed and forgotten someone who truly deserve every single chance she had at being happy.

But no matter what he felt, there was only a single thought in his mind as he walked with the girl by his side.

"Shokuhou…"

"What is it?" Misaki asked that question, turning her head up to Touma with a look of concern on her own face. she had had numerous scenarios inside her head for how Touma was going to receive the news of what his memory condition surrounding her was but the only thing that he had done for the past few minutes since she had told him the truth was walk as if his body had been on autopilot the entire time: still processing what had been told to him.

Ever since she had told him the truth, this was the first time he had spoken. Nothing she did had gotten a reaction out of him and seeing him speak now only made her heat tremble with anticipation of what he was going to say.

But even then, what did come out of his mouth was something she had never expected.

"Have I…done enough?"

Misaki stared at the boy who seemed to avoid looking her in the face, only staring into the distance with a vacant expression on his face.

"Today. What we did. I realize that nothing I do can make up for what I failed to do to, but…is what I did today enough? Is what we did today, are the small things that accumulated really enough to satisfy you for what I did to you?"

The voice that came from the boy was solemn, dark and held deep emotions Misaki could not entirely understand. But what she did understand from what the boy was saying, she only shook her head.

"None of what happened was your fault. You losing your memory ability of me was my fault. No one else's. So that is not on you."

"But – "

"No buts." Misaki said as she lightly chopped the head of Touma. She held his face in her hands and turned it towards her. "And besides. Those small things? They were more than enough. Today has been beyond anything I could have imagined and for that alone, it I can't thank you enough. I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me today. This time we have now is what is important to me. And if you deny me that, then that will stab further than you having lost your memories."

Those words in themselves prevented Touma from saying anything else on the matter. Any denial he would make on the matter would only serve to stab into Misaki and spit on the waiting she had done, mocking her for waiting for the recovery of Touma's memories when it was unknown if it would happen in the first place.

He was silent for a single moment but even then, the guilt in his eyes had yet to entirely disappear.

"I forgot you though. I forgot you and I can never take that back. So, I can't think that today was enough. Not when there is the chance, we have this three-day time limit. I can't look at what we did today and think that it even remotely makes up for the pain I caused you!"

Gritted teeth and a clenched fist filled Misaki's vision. The despair that Touma was showing seemed more directed at himself than at the world for the pain directed at Misaki but even then, she rose a hand and pressed it against his lips. She shook her head once more, smiling all the same as she stared at the spiky haired boy.

"Then make it up to me."

"…What?"

"Make it up to me. We don't have much time left. I wish that this will continue…but I do not know. So if you think that you have not done enough for me, I expect you to have enough gentlemanly ability to make it up to me. That is your task, Kamijou-san. Make me feel something in these next few days…that will have made this waiting worth it."

Touma stared at Misaki, clearly unsure of what to say. The emotions in his eyes went back and forth and to and fro but even then, they eventually changed into exactly what Misaki had wanted to see from them.

The determination and the drive that he always showed when it came to making sure that someone had their smile left.

"…Is that going to be enough?"

"It already has been."

Both stopped as Misaki stood in front of the entrance to School Garden, staring at the boy in front of her as her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"I've been waiting for this you know. I…have been waiting a long time."

Misaki stepped back, Touma watching her go and reaching out a hand as if to grab her fading form but holding himself back. He lowered his hand, looking down for a single moment before rising his head once again, staring right at her and nodding.

"Then as the one who you have been waiting for, I have the responsibility to make this right. Shokuhou Misaki, I will make you happy. For the things I have done for you, you have my word on that. I'm…going to make you the happiest girl in the world. Mark my words."

"I expect nothing else!"

Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma.

The truth has been revealed and the time between the two once more is going to continue.

What will be held for those two now that both of them realize the worth of the time they have together and try to make the most of it?

Only time will tell.

The first day is over.

Only two days remain to determine if Kamijou Touma's regaining of the memories of Shokuhou Misaki is temporary or permanent.

* * *

 **And so the first day has come to a close. Was it what you expected?**

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 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	3. The Second Day

**And so the time has arrived again... another chapter, another day.**

 **Not much else to say.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It wasn't a dream.

That was the very real realization one Shokuhou Misaki came to after the events of the previous day.

A trip down memory lane, complete with swimsuit teasing, a lecture that ended with popcorn, a sudden appearance of a place she refused to return to, and finally, a revelation about the past between her and a certain boy.

That certain boy was Kamijou Touma.

At first, she thought it couldn't be true; that her mind was playing a devilish trick upon her…but they met and he remembered her not once, but twice.

That was enough to put her doubts at ease.

These thoughts are among many that ran in the honey blonde girl's head when she woke up the morning. She yawned tiredly as she seemed rather content in her comfortable bed…so she relaxed to her heart's content in the brief time she had.

"Day two huh…" Misaki spoke to herself. One day was complete, and she had two more to go through. Two more to make new memories with.

Two more to find out whether her fantasy would come to an end or not.

There were no more memories to travel down and update; from here and beyond, everything was new. A fresh start with everything on the table.

And Kamijou Touma himself had decided to plan it. That part alone made her heart flutter with joy; him trying his best to make her the happiest girl in the world.

Although, Misaki would argue that he had already done just that…but with him being so earnest, it was just so difficult to say no. She didn't simply want to smile around him, oh no.

She wanted to see Kamijou Touma smile. She wanted to be the reason Kamijou Touma smiled. From this point forward, there would be no regrets; she would make sure of it. Even if the three days went about their business and robbed Touma of his memories once again, they could never tear away hers.

Her phone vibrated on her night stand. Curious, set sat up to check it, and was pleasantly surprised.

It was a text from a certain someone.

"Hey! I think I have a good idea on some things we could do… You better be prepared; I intend to give you the full Kamijou-chan course! If anything it will at least be a new experience you can't get anywhere else! Call me when you get this, ok?"

She smiled as she read the message. She actually had to flag Touma down before they split from each other the previous day to remind him to exchange numbers with her, so say she was surprised was an understatement; she thought that she'd have to remind him of their plans, but it would appear that the unlucky Kamijou was on the ball today.

"An experience I can't get anywhere else…?" She mused with a smile. "…That sounds very lovely, my prince…"

She hit the dial key on her contacts not long after. There wasn't an answer at first, which she found odd, but not long after her first attempt ended, the spiky-haired teen called her back.

"H-hey! Sorry about that… Cooking breakfast." Touma stated.

"Oh? For me? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to impress me." Misaki teased.

"I mean… I can if you want…but this is more for my ravenous roommate… She is quite the monster when it comes to food…and it doesn't help that she can't cook for herself."

"Ah… I see." Misaki replied. "…That actually reminds me; how did you get away with having a girl roommate in a dorm? I assume that even a co-ed dorm would avoid pairing a boy with a girl in the same room at all costs…"

"I don't want to talk about it. My neighbor does the same thing and I had to rely on him to make it work… It's a long story…" Touma sighed. "It doesn't help that Index isn't really a student…"

"Oh? Does this mean that I gained a juicy piece of information? Did the opportunity to use my blackmail ability just appear?"

"Don't! Seriously… If it wasn't for the school providing me this dorm I wouldn't have a place to live! I'm surviving on the absolute bare minimum here!"

"Could always move in with cute little Shokuhou-chan~"

"And how would you shuffle me around to avoid the dorm managers of Tokiwadai!?"

"Oh I have my ways… Mental Out is quite the handy ability you know." Misaki answered. "Or, I could just stuff you away under my bed covers… Don't worry; it has more than enough room for two people."

"Ha-ha, nice try Shokuhou. Implying something lewd like that won't get the reaction you're looking for… I'm onto your games now…"

"Ho? But what if the serious reaction was the one I was wanting?" Misaki stated.

"Are you implying I had lost right from the start!?"

"Your perception ability is strong~" Misaki answered in a cute tone. She could hear a small 'thump' sound from the other side of the line that made her giggle. "So…after you've fed your roommate, what do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could meet up in District 15. There is a lot there to play around with over there… Oh! And remember a swimsuit; this unlucky Kamijou-chan has an idea." Touma replied.

"Ah? But you shot down my plan for one yesterday…"

"I already explained myself on that front! There's a difference between seeing a girl in a swimsuit and having her change into one close by, you know!" Touma shot back. "Anyway…there was something me and my friends tried awhile back that was kind of fun, and I figured it might be a good place… It's not our first stop; I'm just saying be prepared, ok?"

"Oh how I wonder what you have in mind… I am in your hands, Kamijou-san…"

* * *

"An…arcade?" Misaki blinked.

"Yeah; it's not one of the big ones but it's one I frequent when I have a little spare time." Touma answered. "It's not a bad choice, is it?"

"No… I suppose I'm surprised. I didn't think you had enough disposable income for something like this." Misaki answered honestly. "And…well; I've never actually been in one before… My clique often avoids these as they think it's a den for delinquent boys."

"Well… They're not entirely wrong… A high-class girl like yourself in a place like this will get you some attention… But I figured if I was around that it'd be alright, especially since I'm a regular." Touma answered. "My idea is that since you're an ojou-sama in the School Garden, you probably don't get to experience stuff like this all that often. I'm trying to find things you might have never tried before that I'm familiar with."

"I suppose a little adventure like this can be fun." Misaki nodded. The two pushed ahead to enter and explore freely. As expected, the natural beauty that was Mental Out got a lot of attention right away, but mostly everyone was familiar with Kamijou Touma so they stayed away.

They knew him quite well… Him and his Kami-Yan disease; any girl that stood next to him was already lost from the get-go, so no one tried to "put the moves" on her. This left them mostly undisturbed.

Well…until Touma slipped on a soda can and went flying head first into the side of an arcade cabinet.

"Oww… Such misfortune…" Touma lamented. "Can't a guy get a break for just one day…? Is that so much to ask?"

"My… bent over, rear up… Are you making use of your performance ability for me?" Misaki teased. "And you yelled at me for being forward… Shame on you."

"Funny…" Touma sarcastically replied as he pushed himself to his feet. "See anything you might want to play? They have older arcade games, shooters, fighting games, prize machines, some physical activity stuff like virtual baseball too… They have a laser tag course in the back, but I figured you wouldn't be interested in something like that."

Neither of them needed a reminder of Misaki's lack of athletic ability.

"I don't know … As I told you, I've never been in an arcade before…" Misaki glanced around. "What do you usually play?"

"I tend to drift towards the fighting games myself… But I stay as far away from the luck-based games as humanly possible…"

"But you could win me something! That would make this extra special, you know!" Misaki stated.

"The chance of me winning might as well be zero. And even if I did happen to win something, I can almost guarantee you that the machine would explode or something shortly afterward… You'd get a cute stuffed animal but I'd get another hospital bill."

"Then… Show me what you usually play. What's your favorite game?"

"You sure? It's a bit of an advanced one…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"Nonsense… I can pick up on the nuances of a silly arcade game…or are you underestimating a Level 5?" Misaki proudly proclaimed. Touma eyed the honey-blonde girl next to him for a moment, and ultimately shrugged.

"If you say so, Shokuhou-sama. Allow this humble Kamijou-chan to escort you to the depths of hell." Touma replied cheekily and then lead the way. The cabinet was on the second floor, but didn't take much time to track down.

"So this is it huh…? A joystick and…so many buttons…?" Misaki tilted her head.

"Yup. This is kind of your standard layout for an arcade fighter" Touma replied. "This is my jam; you sure you want this? You ready to catch these hands?"

"Ohohohoho… So you're using your slang on me… Very well! As Shokuhou Misaki, fifth ranked Level 5… I shall defeat you at your own game, Kamijou Touma! Prepare yourself, for this wise and beautiful high class lady will not show you any mercy!"

That is how it began, but not long after…

"B-but how did you do that!?" Misaki cried out with frustration. "Y-your air-dash swoops in and hurts me? B-but mine doesn't hurt you at all! What is this!?"

"Differences of the characters. They are all really different. Yours pulls out a bunch of guns to control the field. Plus, she can chuck grenades she pulls from her dress."

"B-but how do I throw them!? I pull them out but she just holds them and they explode!"

"Down and punch to lob down, back and punch to overhead throw it." Touma instructed. Their match continued for a time before Misaki spoke again.

"Heh… Now your character is just standing there taking it…b-but it looks like he's enjoying it? And what's with that gauge and the corner?"

"Excitement gauge… It lets me do this." Touma replied, unleashing some kind of super attack where his character stabbed Misaki's over and over with nails attached to his fingers. It was more than enough to end the round after it was all said and done, but the full animation played out anyway.

"A-and your…health regenerated…" Misaki stated in-between rounds.

"Yeah…if I can keep him undamaged after his sadism taunt, he gets back the HP he lost. It's really tricky because if I get hit even once, I'll take it all and you'll basically have beaten me up for free." Touma replied.

"Figures that the character you pick would have such a high masochist ability." Misaki stated flatly.

"H-hey, what's that supposed to-" Touma turned to only see the honey blonde grin deviously.

"Sucker~" Misaki began the round, getting a cheap set of attacks in before the unlucky Kamijou realized she said that to distract him. Touma grit his teeth.

"If that's how you're going to play it…!" Touma then pressed all of the four major buttons at once.

The arena turned black as a red aura enveloped his character. Not long after, Touma unleashed what looked like an ordinary super.

But the moment it connected, a unique animation played that involved his character grabbing Misaki's, and then exploding, reducing Misaki's HP to zero instantly. As if to add insult to injury, the camera focused on a pile of dust, and a lone arm appeared out of it, hinting that the unlucky Kamijou's character survived the seemingly suicidal attack.

"W-what…was that?" Misaki blinked.

"Instant kill attack… Every character has one, and if it hits, you'll win the round instantly…but if you miss or if it gets blocked, you'll lose your super gauge for the entire round. Risk verses reward at its finest." Touma answered.

Misaki was quiet for a moment as the game returned to character select.

"This simple arcade game seems really deep." She stated. "Strategy seems as key as just knowing what your character does…"

"And you need to know what your opponent can do. See that big guy?" Touma moved Misaki's cursor to display the person he was referring to. "That guy is big and slow…but he has a lot of health and hits like a dump truck. Just one of his supers can cut an unsuspecting players HP in half, if not more. You have to learn how to play around your opponent just as much as you play your own."

Misaki glanced back at the screen in front of her, taking it all in; this was something Kamijou Touma did when he wanted to have fun or to relax.

And here she was right next to him. Touma had a smile on his face as he pointed out each character's strengths and weaknesses. She smiled dreamily.

Touma was happy to share a part of his life he treasures with someone else, and Misaki was happy she could experience it with him. It was fairly clear that the unlucky Kamijou loved this game, but it was also clear that he enjoyed introducing it to someone new.

Even if that someone was a high class lady who had never touched a video game in her life. She questioned internally whether Touma selected this place to genuinely give her a new experience or just to have a good time showing her something he treasures.

It didn't matter either way; it could have been a combination of both or neither for all she cared.

All that mattered that's he was there with him; making new memories with the most important person in her life.

"Kamijou-san, can we play again?" Misaki asked.

"I don't see why not." Touma agreed almost immediately. "I actually think I know a character you might enjoy a little bit more… I'll show you how to play her." Touma then moved behind the honey blond girl and began his temporary profession as "Kamijou-Sensei" as he helped one Shokuhou Misaki learn a game he loved to play so dearly.

* * *

"Heh… I knew I'd eventually beat you!" Misaki taunted with her head held high after they left the arcade.

"Told you that you'd like her." Touma stated. "Did you have any fun? I kind of had to ask pass the organizer of this particular event." Misaki turned toward him and smiled lightly.

"I was a little intimidated at first…but had fun in the end… Though I doubt I could get anyone from my clique to agree to come here… I may only be able to come with you at my side…" Misaki thought out loud as she turned to face the arcade once again.

"Speaking of which, how are you keeping them from trying to find you?"

"Oh, I had to use a little bit if my persuasion ability… Fufu~" Misaki replied. The two had started to leave from the arcade with Touma leading the way, although they still walked side by side.

"You used your ability on them, didn't you?" Touma asked flatly. Misaki choked a little bit upon having her tactics revealed.

"W-well…I had to! They were being really unreasonable!" The honey blond girl replied. "I told them I simply had plans with an old acquaintance, and they pressured me with questions! I made it clear that it was a private affair, but the only one who really understood that was Hokaze… Then one of them went way out of control with my choice of the affair term and everyone else got aggressive… Hopefully I don't need to go into too much more detail about what they were accusing me of…"

"I can understand that… On my way out here I got stopped by my neighbor Tsuchimikado." Touma sighed. "He somehow was able to guess that I was off to meet a girl but let me go way too easily… I can't help but feel like he is waiting in the shadows somewhere with Aogami to try and cause trouble…"

"Does that happen often?"

"More often than you could imagine… My only safe place from them is my dorm…and even then Tsuchimikado knows how to pick locks… Even the digitally secured ones too! I don't even know how he does it!"

"Sounds like you have some annoying but talented friends…" Misaki commented. "Well, don't worry one little bit! If they happen to appear simply point them out and I shall deal with them personally. They won't even remember finding you this morning… Fufu~"

"Under normal circumstances I'd reject that idea…but I really don't want them wandering along and ruining this, so I say go for it." Touma replied. "Just…don't stay in their minds too long. Dark stuff resides in the harrowed halls that is their brains."

"Oh? A bunch of perverts?"

"Tsuchimikado is a sis-con…and Aogami is…well…an everything-con."

"So a mega pervert?"

"Even that might be underselling it." Touma replied with a sigh. They kept walking as the strolled down the street and maneuvered through the crowd. "…All things considered, I'm glad you had fun at the arcade… To be honest I was kind of afraid you'd hate it. I've never really planned out something like this for a girl before so… I was just hoping that a few things I like might somehow translate over…" Touma rubbed the back of his head, seemingly embarrassed.

But that feeling vanished when Misaki grabbed ahold of his free arm.

"Believe me… Just the simple fact you are here next to me is all I need to enjoy everything this day has to offer." Misaki spoke honestly. Caught off guard, Touma's face flushed red and he looked away.

"Y-you sure? I-I mean… You're free to complain if you want! If it's honest, I'll accept it!" Touma sputtered as he tried to speak. Misaki simply giggled as she watched the unlucky Kamijou's flustered form.

"My…are you really that weak to my teasing ability?" She smiled.

"That's not fair…" Touma groaned as he came to his tenses. They kept up with their casual stroll, and while the unlucky Kamijou focused on directions to their next destination, Misaki simply held onto him and basked in the warmth that his body provided.

It was unique in comparison to the hot summer sun. This heat made her heart beat loud and fast with joy.

She had waited so long for this… She couldn't describe how long it truly felt in her heart.

But now she was free to express herself fully without restraint; even just a casual walk filled every ounce of her form with delight.

And when the feeling of heat had to end, she wished it could have lasted just a few seconds more.

"And here we are… I haven't been to this one in a while." Touma commented.

It appeared to be a kind of water park. While pools were somewhat common in the city, what wasn't common was an out-door facility; those had attendance issues directly related to the weather, and was completely inoperable in the winter, so such a thing was a tad unusual in a commercial powerhouse such as Academy City.

But perhaps the fact that it was one of so few was the reason it appeared to be popular? The odd one would always stand out in comparison. Maybe in retrospect the owners knew exactly what they were doing by breaking the mold and opening an outdoor park in a walled off city.

"Ah… So this is why you told me to bring a swimsuit." Misaki nodded. "…Wait, where are yours? You don't have any bags…"

"Wearing them." Touma replied.

"Underneath?"

"Yup."

"In the hot summer sun!?" Misaki exclaimed.

"If I brought a bag or something, it would either be stolen or destroyed, and its contents with it." Touma replied. "When one is misfortunate as me…one must take steps to prevent as many things from going wrong as possible! As if I am going to let something catastrophic happen and be forced to rent a used set of swimwear from the front desk! That's a waste of money!"

"If you had asked, I could have covered for you." Misaki stated.

"B-but this is my idea…my plan… What kind of guy would I be if I didn't pay for it!? I covered the arcade, didn't I?" Touma replied. Misaki sighed but smiled sweetly, putting one hand on the unlucky Kamijou's cheek.

"You are trying rather hard, aren't you?"

"Eh…?" Touma blinked, not sure how to react.

"Not everything has to be perfect." She spoke up again. "Not everything has to be flawless to be enjoyable… There isn't some kind of set standard of "It has to go like this," or something…"

"But-"

"No buts." Misaki moved her hand to cover Touma's mouth with a finger. "You worry so much about money… I understand why… and you want to cover expenses because you feel responsible; I understand that too… But there's not much point if you wind up stressed out or overheated due to trying to avoid paying for unnecessary things, right?"

Touma was silent for a time, his points torn through by the girl in front of him.

"I…suppose I do get a little wound up about that stuff…" The spiky haired teen rubbed his neck. Misaki simply kept her smile going, satisfied that Touma understood.

"As you should! But now is not a time to try and use your frugal ability, is it?"

"I guess not…" Touma replied. Misaki pulled her hand back, opening her handbag and pulling out her own bankcard.

"We are here to enjoy ourselves… Even if your goal is to make me happy, it is infinitely more enjoyable to see you laughing and smiling right next to me, understand?"

"I mean… I think I get what you're saying…but are you sure?"

"Of course I am. You plan; I'll pay. That way, we both can enjoy this time together as much as we want." Misaki replied. "Now, I'll take care of the entrance fee, and then get changed. No peeking, understand?"

"As if I was going to peek!" Touma fired back, making Misaki giggle once again. She scampered off to the girl's changing room. The honey blonde girl looked back briefly and gave the spiky haired teen a wink before vanishing completely inside. Heat rushed to Touma's face but quickly faded after the girl was gone.

"Man…this girl…" Touma rubbed his neck. "What kind of life did the old me live to come into contact with a girl like this…?"

It sounded like he was complaining, but he was honestly just surprised. Many girls seemingly from his forgotten past have come forward, but almost all of them appeared to be violent in some way with very few exceptions.

But…not this one. Shokuhou Misaki was a natural tease and a little bit haughty, but she was anything but violent. She was being very accommodating and genuinely nice… More than a tad flirty than he was used to but she was definitely a genuinely kind person.

Cute too, but that was a topic for another day.

It made him wonder what exactly he had gone through with her. All of his memories were lost, but he couldn't help but be curious as to what Misaki and the old him went through together for her to be his ecstatic to have him back.

The thought of the 'old him' stuck in Touma's head a little longer than he wanted. His memory loss on July 28th didn't bother him that much these days, but the fact that it did happen seemed a little more important here.

Though he could remember the honey blond girl with him now, the old Kamijou Touma she was attached to was gone; blown away completely. He lost his ability to remember Misaki at one point, but now the entirety of who he used to be was erased from existence.

The person Misaki desperately wanted to see again was forever lost, and sooner or later, she would realize that.

But…

She seemed so happy that the idea of ruining that for her made his heart ache. The thought of being the one to tear away her happiness again cut at him deeply.

He eyed the girls changing room for a moment, nodded, and then made his way over to the guy's room.

He decided then; even if she learning of his old self's death was an inevitable, he would protect that smile just a little longer.

She would eventually learn some day…

But that day didn't have to be today.

* * *

"Alright~ Misaki-chan cute mode has arrived~" Misaki called out as she exited. Touma was already out, due to him just having to strip away his normal clothes to get into his normal blue swim trunks.

"Cute mode?" Touma blinked. Misaki herself was in her school's standard one-piece swimsuit, probably due to similar reasons for her to be stuck in Tokiwadai's standard student uniform most of the time. But….

"Yes! I tied my hair into a pony tail so it'll stay out of my eyes… But it has a completely different effect on my charm when my hair is worn like this, don't you think?"

"Well… I can't complain. It is a nice change of pace… I think it looks good." Touma nodded.

"Though honestly I wish I could get away with a two piece of some kind… School rules can be so annoying… Being part of one of the lower class schools must be nice." Misaki stated.

"Let's just say we have problems of our own and leave it at that…" Touma sighed. "You remembered to lock up your things in the locker they provided you, right?"

"Of course; there is nothing to worry about!" Misaki cheerfully answered. "So…what's the plan? Relaxing in a pool? Water slides?"

"I had the idea for something specific… There is something a little unique here I think can be fun…but if you'd rather do those things…" Touma trailed off, but was surprised when Misaki took Touma's arm once again.

"I trust you. Lead the way, Kamijou-kun~" The honorific Misaki added with a flirty tone attached turned Touma's face a shade of red as they walked. They passed a few pools of varying sizes, a set of tall slides, a refreshment stand, but came to a stop as a particular body of water with several inflatable innertubes large enough to ride available for anyone to use.

It started shallow and gradually got deeper the further in you got, but rather high walls were all around except for the shallow entrance. It was smaller than the other pools, but it seemed to have a lot more people in it.

Curious, Misaki glanced around, until her eyes focused on a few signs with descriptions and a few warnings.

"A wave pool?" Misaki tilted her head.

"Yeah; it generates waves in the water for people to ride on. It's not designed to surf or anything, but you can ride on a innertube… It can get exciting when it really gets going." Touma replied. "Looks like we got here at a good time… They must be in-between sessions… Interested?"

"W-well… My swimming ability is rather lacking…but with an innertube this could be fun… Oh look! They have one designed for two people!" Misaki pointed toward the handout innertubes.

"I've never ridden on one meant for two before…"

"Then it looks like we both get to enjoy something new… Though I bet you'll just fall off and have to show me your own swimming ability~"

"Oh is that so? The double-tube it is then!" Touma, his pride as a man challenged did the natural thing and grabbed it, completely oblivious that he had been manipulated by the Mental Out rather effectively.

They wasted no time finding their own place in the water and set themselves up. The innertube was designed so that the two people would be sitting across from each other, so the two's legs touched rather often. Touma seemed a tad nervous at first due to the casual contact, but gradually eased up over time.

And then, slowly but surely, the waves began. It started off slow at first but gradually the vibration in the water grew, and the waves grew with it.

"Heehee… This is kind of fun… It's like a water based roller coaster!" Misaki cheerfully stated.

"Speaking of which, we could always visit the amusement park in District Six. It'd be a bus ride away but it's an idea."

"Water roller coaster to an actual roller coaster? Trade risk of drowning for risk of falling?" Misaki cheekily replied.

"I mean… I may have bad luck, but it hasn't gotten me killed so far… So I'd be willing to chance it if you are." Touma smiled. They sat there for a time holding onto the innertube as the waves grew more frequent and more intense.

But…

"That's odd… The waves should have reached their highest point by now… But they keep getting bigger…" Touma commented.

"And...are they coming just a little bit faster and harder?" Misaki added. They both exchanged glances.

The waves kept getting larger and more powerful without limit.

"There must have been a malfunction with the wave generator, causing it to ramp up out of control.

"A-ah…I believe this is a front-row seat to your misfortune ability, isn't it?"

"D-don't say that so casually! This is really, really bad!" Touma cried out.

They reached the bottom of the next wave when a shadow came over them; they noticed that the water level seemed to have dropped but could only look up in horror.

As a massive wave crashed down onto them both, sending them down to the watery abyss.

Or it would have if it wasn't for the concrete floor of the pool. Which Touma hit with his back. Twice. The first time was natural due to the wave's force but the second time it was because Misaki crashed into him.

Moments passed as other people pulled themselves out of the water as the wave generator seemed to shut down. A more natural wave spat the two out towards the shallow end of the pool.

Touma was on his back and Misaki was sitting on his stomach, both of them with looks of dismay and confusion.

"K-Kamijou-san…?"

"Yeah?"

"L-lets skip the r-roller coaster for today…" Misaki spoke, clearly still shaken. Touma's response was to simply raise his hand to give a flimsy thumbs up. The honey blonde girl then collapsed onto the unlucky Kamijou's chest as they both reveled in the fact that they were back on solid ground once again.

* * *

"W-well… Aside from the wave pool…this was a fun little trip." Misaki spoke cheerfully. They both had just exited the water park in their normal clothing.

Touma had a few bandages from the accident but Misaki herself was unharmed… Just a little shaken.

"I suppose. I don't think I'll be going back for a while…" Touma replied. "Even something as simple as a normal water slide seems dangerous after that…"

"...I agree entirely." Misaki nodded in agreement. "I'll be sticking to normal pools for a while…"

The two walked for a time as they let the breeze hit their still wet hair. After a moment they both sat down on a bench just to rest a little after what had happened.

"Ugh… I think it's safe to say that it's not just the roller coaster that's out of the question."

"Yes; the amusement park in District Six seems so far away… I don't even want to try and reach it...even on a bus." Misaki agreed again. "Sorry if that ruins the next stop…"

"That's fine… We won't do anything you don't want to do." Touma replied. "Besides; the amusement park was more of a last minute idea… The next stop I had in mind was actually for something to eat."

"I can agree to that. Now that my mind is settled down, I can say that I am rather hungry… What did you have in mind?" Misaki asked. Touma thought for a minute, weighing his options.

"Do you cook at all?" He asked finally.

"E-eh? Y-you're question my cooking ability…!? A-are you actually wanting me to cook your food or something? That's the role of a wife, isn't it!?" Misaki shouted, blushing red as she caught off guard by the question.

"J-just answer the question…" Touma replied. After a moment the honey blonde girl calmed down after a few deep breaths.

"I…have to admit… I'm not so good with cooking…" Misaki admitted. Touma pushed himself to his feet.

"Then I know a place to give you a unique experience… Follow me, ok?" Touma said, holding out his hand to the girl next to him.

Misaki simply smiled and took his hand as she stood up.

"Of course. If it is a place you find appealing I am sure it will be good." She stated with a smile. Kamijou smiled back, and the two were off, side by side as they had been for most of the day.

Their walk this time was much shorter, as Touma pointed out a rather small looking restaurant; it probably belonged to a local family rather than a large chain.

They walked in casually and were met with the smell of cooking meat. There were eight tables but only about three of them were occupied; it must have been a slow time of day.

However, each table appeared to have a grill installed in the middle.

"Oh my… This is a…!"

"That's right! A yakiniku!" Touma stated. "You order the food raw and cook them yourself. I told you this would be a new experience."

"So this is what you meant!" Misaki smiled.

"It'll be simple…but I can teach you a little bit about cooking here. Plus, we get to eat the results of our work." Touma nodded. "Be sure to work hard, ok?"

"Will do, Kamijou-sensei~"

"D-don't say that in such a mocking tone!" Touma replied. The two were quick to find a table in the corner away from the few people who did come inside. The ordered and received their food right away. They ordered a variety of meats and vegetables to cook, which came to them on a platter.

"Alright… So we make sure the grill is nice and hot…then we can begin." Touma fiddled a little with the settings installed on the table. "And then…" He picked up a slice of beef with a set of tongs and laid it on the grill itself.

"This is rather exciting! How long does it take?"

"Depends on the cut size… But usually about 15 to 25 seconds… If that's hard to remember, just wait for it to start to sizzle." Touma used the tongs to flip the slice of beef over. "You only need to flip it once…and…a slice is done." Touma pulled the beef strip off the grill and set it on a plate.

"So it's good to go then?"

"Not quite…we have a few sauces to choose from. Let's go with…this one." The spiky haired teen poured a provided container of an unknown sauce into a small bowl, then reached for a set of chopsticks. "Then you just dunk the beef into the sauce and…bottoms up!" He ate the strip of beef in a single bite.

"Is it really that simple…?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah; normally you'd cook the veggies first, but I thought this might be a good way to teach you. Now you try." Touma nodded. The honey-blonde girl delicately reached for the set of tongs and began to work.

"Alright…listen for the sizzle…flip…sizzle…" Misaki caked out the actions as she did them. "Then it's done…sauce…and…!" She took a bite of the beef carefully.

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's wonderful!" Misaki cried. "This is just so much fun! I'll cook another!" She then went to work while Touma leaned back and watched his companion cook. After she was finished this time however, she held out the beef strip to the unlucky Kamijou across from her.

"Here… I want you to try my cooking!" Misaki cheekily stated. Touma flushed red for a moment.

"I mean… Eh, why not?" Touma did as he was told and ate the beef strip. "It's good… Shokuhou-chan is a natural."

"Heehee… I feel like I leveled up my cooking ability! I even got a someone to try it!" Misaki cheerfully replied.

"Don't get too cocky… Next comes the vegetables… And those work just a bit differently… Size matters a lot." Touma stated. The two began to cook their food as the spiky haired teen instructed, with Mental Out followed his orders.

She smiled gleefully the entire time; she was cooking, something she had never done before, was right across from someone very important to her.

Her most important person. The person she treasured more than anyone else.

And he was there complimenting her all the whole. It made her heart flutter. His words weren't just blind statements meant to please her; they were genuine. If she messed up, he called her out on it. But if she got it right, she was genuinely praised. She wanted more, so she kept at it as Touma taught her.

Though it was just a yakiniku, it felt incredibly special. It was a moment only they would have at this moment in time.

It wasn't long before they ran out of food to cook though.

"Aww… are we done?" Misaki frowned as she spoke.

"Only if you want to be; it'll cost more but we can order another platter if you want. Touma shrugged.

"Then let's order another! Money is no object here!" Misaki cried out. "I feel like you have trouble getting enough food, so we'll keep at it until your stuffed! Be prepared, because Shokuhou-sama isn't taking no for an answer!"

Touma was shocked by her declaration, but he eased into a smile, accepting Misaki's terms without a single complaint.

If it made her happy, he was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

"Mmm… That was lovely…" Misaki stated as they left.

"It's a good thing you offered to cover… I think I lost my bank card back at the pool…" Touma sighed.

"Don't remind me of bad memories when I'm on a full stomach." Misaki pouted. The spiky-haired teen however patted her head and she practically melted, smiling once again. "We spent while in there… It's hard to believe it's getting close to sunset…"

"Yeah…it takes a bit more time because you have to cook the food." Touma replied. They walked for a time before coming upon a bus stop. They were quite a distance from their respective dorms and on their satisfied and full stomachs, it felt like the best option.

"So it seems like that was our last stop after all." Touma commented. "Did you have fun?"

"More than you could imagine…" Misaki replied. A bus was approaching but Misaki seemed to fidget a little. "Um… Listen…I have a wee bit of a selfish request…"

"What is it?" Touma blinked. Misaki fidgeted a little while longer before turning to face the unlucky Kamijou.

"Could you…walk me home?" She asked. Touma's face flushed at the notion.

The bus would take them to a station but not into the School Garden itself with normal civilians on board.

"It's a bit out of the way… Eh, sure. I don't mind." Touma agreed. The girl smiled as the bus arrived, and the two were quick to get on and find a seat next to each other.

As the bus began to move, Misaki gently rested her head on Touma's shoulder, much to his surprise.

"S-Shokuhou…?"

"Today was lovely… Absolutely lovely… Thank you." She replied. Touma seemed tense but after her words reached his ears, he eased up quite a bit.

They rode in silence for a while longer, simply enjoying each other's presence. The bus turned and passed through a gate signaling a change in districts. A short time after that, she spoke up again.

"Kamijou-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we…meet again tomorrow?" She asked innocently. Touma looked puzzled but realized what she meant.

She had mentioned that this was a three-day window. Tomorrow was that third day.

Tomorrow it would be found out if Kamijou Touma would be able to remember Shokuhou Misaki, or if he was doomed to lose memory of her yet again.

If there was any evidence that he was going to forget, it would appear then.

"Sure, what do you want to do?" Touma replied.

"I have a few ideas… You accompanied me on the places I wished to visit yesterday, and made this a wonderful adventure… Allow me to give back, just a little bit…" Misaki replied, turning her head up to smile at him.

Touma simply stared back for a moment before he smiled as well.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm in your hands, Shokuhou." He replied.

They rode back in silence until the bus stopped just outside the School Garden. It was there that they parted ways for the night, both a tad bit tired.

One day was left, and only after that, would the reality be known.

* * *

 **And so day two comes to a close... we have one more day left!**

 **Hopefully the game of figuring out who wrote what get's just a tad harder... People figured it out rather easily last time, but hopefully it get just a little bit more difficult to figure it out!**

 **Also; Bonus time: Anyone who can guess what game Touma and Misaki were playing at the arcade get 10,000 success points. It tickles me when people figure out where these Easter eggs come from! Fufu~**

 **We hope you all enjoyed. Please review at your leisure; we both enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	4. The Third Day

**And here is Chapter 4... we are nearing the end, folks.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Here it was.

The Final Day.

The Day where everything would be revealed and whether Kamijou Touma would be able to recall Shokuhou Misaki forevermore would be decided.

The girl in question, Misaki, though only had that in the back of her mind as she spun around in front of the boy in question, Touma, with a grin on her face. Touma on the other hand did not match in his expression, his eyes averted to the side and the faintest of blushes on his cheeks as he looked at the (questionable) middle schooler.

"Y-You never said anything about this…"

"Hmmm…it would have spoiled the surprise ability, don't you think? Oh? Did I get your heart racing with how perfect I look, Kamijou-kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun?"

"N-No! Not at all! This Kamijou-san only has room in his heart for dorm manager onee-san types, so no middle schooler is going to sway him!"

"Is that so? Well, then you should have no problem telling me how I look. Unless of course you are self-conscious about how I look and thus wavering in what lies within your heart."

"?! Wait. So are you telling me that if I feel anything and don't remark on how you look right now then the dream of a dorm manager is slowly disappearing within my mind!? I-I won't fall for your mind games, Mental Out. You want to know how you look? That's not the question you need to ask!"

Misaki stopped spinning around and frowned, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"The question you need to ask is how can I possibly put how stunning you look into words? Using something as basic as the Japanese language to capture your beauty right now…I think that would be an insult to the figure in front of me."

If there was anything Misaki had expected, it was not that. Her face exploded red and her eyes went wide, the girl now turning her head with a massive blush on her face. She covered her mouth, but only to hide the massive smile that was growing on her face. She trembled lightly and tried to stop it by bringing her body closer together but the only thing that that accomplished was her realizing just how warm her entire body had gotten, something she could feel within the clothes she was wearing.

Today was the peak of the festival that had been happening within Academy City. Although the extended holiday that had been given to the students of Academy City had allowed them to move around and so as they like, it was today that was the day that the holiday actually celebrated. The only reason that an extended holiday had been given in the first place was to prepare for the festival, happening on the evening of this very day.

And because it was a special occasion, there had been a relaxing of the strict uniform rules for Tokiwadai students.

A relaxing of the rules that Shokuhou Misaki had used as an excuse to don the yukata she now wore.

The red silk yukata fit like a glove and the complex blossoms embroider on the fabric were sewed in using complex orange and yellow colours as well as special material that gave the illusion that the cherry blossoms were spinning when one looked at it from various angles. The overall impression that one would get from Misaki as a result as she walked past would be that the cherry blossoms on her yukata would be spinning, only adding to the presence she naturally had.

The obi tied around her waist was a lighter yellow as well, a colour that matched her hair perfectly but was lighter than the yellow cherry blossoms of her yukata meaning that the colours did not clash or overlap. The way that the obi was wrapped around her already slim body only gave her more of an impression, pushing up her already large breasts so give them a bit more presence than usual.

Gone were the gloves on her hands and stockings on her legs, only being the red yukata that covered her entire body. The long hair that she had usually kept down was now tied within a bun, kept in place using an accessory that looked very much like a chopstick but had the same pattern as her yukata: meaning that whenever she moved the blossoms put into the side of the chopstick holding her hair moved, giving the impression that her entire body was a piece of natural artwork, holding and allowing the blossoms to bloom.

Naturally, when she had worn it in front of her clique, many had passed out and demanded to know who she was meeting and, if she was free, whether they could join the festival with her. However, a simple click of the button and application of her power had given her all the freedom in the world and allowed her to meet Touma in the early hours of the morning.

Unlike Misaki who had dressed up for the evening festival, Touma had not even bothered to do that, wearing casual clothes that met the weather: a blue hoodie and beige pants. The difference between the boy and the girl was obvious but neither cared about the differences in how they looked, what they wore or how they attracted stares from those around them.

The only thing that they cared about was that they had each other.

"So, why are you dressed like that despite it being so early? You do realize that the festivities and the fireworks show that is happening is basically like the Daihaseisai's night parade? In that it only has meaning and only happens at night? It's what, 8:30 in the morning? Don't tell me that you're going to be wearing those geta and walking around in them all day?"

Touma looked down at the unique footwear Misaki was wearing: wooden sandals that were elevated off the ground a small bit. A substitute for high heels in a fashion, the rarity one wore them meant that more often than not, girls found it difficult to wear them for longer periods of time.

Misaki though had an answer for the concern Touma was giving her.

"I'm not going to be walking a lot in them so there's no need to worry."

"What do you mean?" Touma asked but it was Misaki who turned and walked away, smiling as Touma caught up to her and walked by her side. She playfully winked at him and grabbed his arm, the boy blushing but still maintaining his gaze at her as she talked.

"The festivities happening later today are, in fact, tonight. But the thing is, Kamijou-san, that the setting up has been going on for a long time. The only thing that needs to be done around this time is collecting the people for the food stalls, setting up the bonfire, preparing the equipment to be sold: all of that. Right now, if we were to head to the place where the District 7 festival is, we would find most food stalls empty and people around, ready for everyone to arrive later."

Touma seemed to understand what she was getting at, putting a hand underneath his chin and speaking to himself.

"Early bird gets the worm…"

"Indeed! Although, in this case, the only 'worm' that one would be getting would be access to some of the stalls. Haven't you always felt that the good prizes at these types of stalls are always gone whenever you arrive? The reason that is the case is because others had the foresight ability to arrive before the festival actually begun and got those prizes."

"And that's where we're going? I thought you said you wanted to visit some more places. I'm not really sure what you expect of me, but don't think that you're going to get any prize from this misfortunate Kamijou-san."

"Oh no, I'm not."

The admission to something Kamijou had been saying himself somewhat made him pause and grunt as if he had been struck by something internally. However, before he could complain about it, Misaki only smiled and pulled herself closer, resting her head on Kamijou's shoulder and smiling.

"The prize I have been given right now is the only thing I need."

Kamijou said nothing but she could feel his shoulder jump slightly as she leaned against it. It relaxed only a moment after but even then, the small question Misaki could feel within the posture of Touma was obvious.

After all, for a girl who did not get out a lot, she sure knew a lot about the festivals and how they worked. Naturally, this was not information she just 'happened' across; if that was the case or something she had learned second hand, she would have forgotten it almost immediately. No, this was information she had remembered and likely information she had collected herself.

Why she had gotten this information and why she remembered it were obvious questions, but likely out of guilt, Touma said nothing, keeping his gaze forward as he walked slowly to match the pace of the girl by his side.

He probably suspected what it was and a simple question from him would have made Misaki confirm or deny what he was thinking.

After all, the only reason she knew about this in the first place was because she had wanted to go to this festival last year with Touma, before he had lost his memories of her. Naturally, she had been unable to but it was here and now that she had been able to use that knowledge she had for the purposes of going with the current Touma next to her. Likely thinking it was the case, Touma probably felt some guilt with the issue of his memories about her but not wanting to darken the day as it was just beginning, he said nothing, only walking in silence with the girl by his arm.

Still, the silence and the brooding thoughts were broken by Touma beside her.

"…So, is there anything you want to look at? I imagine that a high class girl with a lot of friends like you probably has no idea what to do when you're just one on one with someone else."

"There's something to be said about your mocking ability. It's somewhat frustrating that that part of you has not changed whatsoever. But, as I would have you know, there are actually a number of things that I would like to do. All of which, as the gentlewoman I am, I shall pay for!"

"…Where exactly are you keeping your wallet? …Or your remotes, if you're not thinking of paying at all."

"Y-You saw right through me?!"

"I was hoping it wasn't the case but these people at these festivals run businesses you know! Think about the economy in times like these! You know what happens if these businesses lose their physical stores because of a lack of physical shopping? It all goes online and for someone like you who has no understanding of what machinery is! That's basically Armageddon!"

"W-Well, I never! I'll have you know that I have a proper understanding of what machines are and how they work, as well as a basic grasp of the dealings of the internet! I'm not Amish nor do I think that anyone with some lack of technological understanding ability should be able to live here in Academy City."

"Hehe….that's what you'd think wouldn't you…hehehe…"

"And you're the last person I want to hear talking to me about how I'm bad with technology. Oh no…remembering a previous experience with a high school old woman has gotten me in a bad mood. Hehe…oh, I want to see the look on her face if she sees this…hehehe…"

A rather dark aura came over the both of them as they laughed underneath their breath. It was Touma though who snapped out it soon enough, turning to Misaki and frowning all the same.

"Even so though, where exactly did you hide those remotes of yours? Or your wallet. Actually, don't tell me which one you chose to use; I get the feeling that I'll go from bystander to accomplice to perpetrator knowing my misfortune."

"Well, my remotes are – "

"Did you just completely ignore my wishes!?"

Misaki smiled at Touma's rather loud outburst. Her eyes sparkled, almost spinning like the illusion that were her eyes as she pressed herself even closer to Touma, pushing her breasts towards him so that his arm was in between them. He blushed, turning his head away rapidly but even then, the blush Misaki caught and grinned, her eyes sparkling even more.

"Feel thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat~?"

"S-Shokuhou-sama, I'm not sure whether you realize what you are doing but – "

"Oh, I know perfectly know what I'm doing."

"D-Do you think that the fragile heart of a high school boy is something you can play around with as you like and as you please?! If you think I the masochist, which I'm not, then are you the sadist with this play you're pulling off!? In fact…wait, what is this? It's…hard?" Touma turned towards Misaki and looked down at the breasts that were enveloping his arm, the blush deepening before it faded entirely.

Misaki stared in surprise as she watched Touma's eyes go dead, the boy looking into the distance and looking as if he had reached some enlightenment he had never wanted to in his life.

"H…Hahahahahaha. Go figure. I always felt that girls were soft, but they were always hard and cold. I guess that explains it…why you can have 'those' when you're only in middle school."

"H-Huh?" Misaki paled as she realized that the train of thought Touma was on was not one that she was on but finding that whatever it was, how her teasing had led to it frightened her terribly. "W-Wait a minute, Kamijou-san, whatever misunderstanding you're having about my breasts is one that – "

She was stopped as Touma put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head in some fraction of disappointment.

"You know, Shokuhou-kun, it's OK to have a flat chest."

"Wh-what are you talking about!? How is this flat!?"

"But just because you have an envy over it doesn't mean that it justifies mechanical implants, OK? Love your body as you love yourself."

"M-Mechanical…?!" Misaki went white in the face, shaking her head rapidly at the misunderstanding that had formed. "What in the world are you talking about? Mechanical implants?! How did you even reach that conclusion? Even though this is the City of Science, there are limits to the amount of ridiculousness that one can reach. Think about it, that would make no one happy. Not to mention the strain it would put on your shoulders!"

"They must be killing you… Poor girl…"

"Don't start wiping your eyes! The hard thing that you felt between my breasts wasn't a mechanical implant! It was my remote! Remote! I put one in between my breasts because there was nowhere else to put it. And my breasts are n-nice and s-soft so there's nothing hard about them!"

"Huh?" Touma, still walking, looked as though he had been struck in the face with a wet fish. "It was a…remote?"

"Yes!"

"Then why didn't you put it in your obi when you tied it!?"

"Do you know how hard it would be to get it out every time I need to use it!?"

"And the alterative you came up with was putting it inside your chest!?"

"It's ease of access given the slit for the yukata runs right over it! H-Here I'll show you how easy it is to access…" Misaki took a step back from Touma reaching into the slit of her yukata at her chest, parting it a little to reveal some of the skin. That was all the little men inside Touma could take as he turned his head to the side so fast that he thought he would get whiplash. He thrust his hands in front of him, shaking them and his head as well.

"I-I get it! I believe you! D-Don't go any further than this, Shokuhou-sama!"

"Are you even looking!? Look, it's my remote!"

"I'm sure it is! This is in public! Don't you Level 5s have a filter?! Or are you all idiots?!"

"Y-You still think it's a mechanical implant, don't you?! These are natural!"

"I'm not questioning the validity or the naturalness of your breasts anymore! And I can clearly see the remote in your hand, so this issue is dropped!"

Touma, having looked now, saw the remote in Misaki's hand, however, just from her expression, it was clear that she was not satisfied.

"Girls are nice and soft so don't think that we're all as cold and hard as that old woman! I'll show it to you! These are not fake; I'm quite proud of them for having grown to this size!"

"What do you mean you'll 'show' me?!"

Misaki though, with a blushing face as her own grabbed Touma's hand with one of her own. He could feel the trembling of her body through it and although she was trying to make a brave face, from the small tears in her eyes and the red of her cheeks, it was clawer her state of mind. Her heart beat rapidly within her own chest but as she grabbed Touma's hands with both hands now, it was with slow movements that she brought them closer to her and turned her head away with that same trembling nature.

Touma's eyes went wide at that prospect of what Misaki was doing and went just as red faced, steam coming from both their ears as he tried to pull away while Misaki tried to pull him towards her.

"Wh-What do you think you're doing!?"

"They're not mechanical! I'm telling you that these are entirely natural! T-T-T-T-T-T-Touch them and you'll see. I-I-I-I-I-I-I-It's not like I mind or anything!"

" _I_ mind! I'm not going to touch someone's breasts just because they want to prove to me they're real!"

Of course, Kamijou Touma had never thought he would ever say those words nor did he think he would ever say them again. However, the determination of Misaki to show that she was indeed real and _there_ and the remote between her breasts was the source of the hardness Touma had felt, there was simple no stopping her.

This was the determination that had allowed her to reach Level 5 against to the determination of the boy who had spent hundreds of billions of years simply to return to the world he was living in now, fighting over the chance to touch a pair of breasts.

And before you ask, yes.

The author never thought he would ever write those words not did he think he would ever write them again.

* * *

"…We're here."

"…Yes."

Kamijou Touma and Shokuhou Misaki stood in the barren festival grounds. Just as Misaki has said, the festival looked ready to go but given the early time it was now, it seemed that basically no one was here despite a number of stalls more than ready to serve customers, only a few people who came to get the good stuff circling around and viewing the different stalls.

Both boy and girl cleared their throats. The victor of the battle was one that they refused to disclose but the fact that they had ended up in a situation such as the one that they had seemed to be the point of the matter worth having feelings about.

Even so though, they were here for a reason and it was Touma who tried his best despite his blushing face, to get things on track.

"W-Well? You said you wanted to come here. So go ahead, tiger. Work your magic."

Misaki herself seemed only to be caught up in the past and what had happened between the two of them but the words of Touma seemed to have put her thoughts back on track.

"Y-Yes! Although, if I have to admit, this is my first time doing this."

"…Same here."

"So, we're both amateurs?"

"I think this is more an issue for me, the high schooler, than you."

They stared at each other for a single moment before once more turning to the stall they were standing in front of. Looking down at the enemy in front of them, the enemy stared up at them with blank gazes filled with mocking but the nervousness and fact that they had never done anything like this before made both boy and girl pause.

The stall owner stared at the two of them with indifference: it was too early for him to think about how the two of them were making a line. However, the time that they took standing in front of the stall worried him immensely given the expressions of both their faces.

"I-I'll take one please. All I have to do is scoop, right?"

"That's right miss. And since you are the first customer for today, I'll give you a few tries, free of charge."

"…Sir, I could be wrong, but are those stars in your eyes?"

"What are you talking about, kid?"

The stall owner (who may have had stars in his eyes) handed Misaki a small ring attached to a handle with a fine film over the surface of the ring. She took it with a smile and Touma looked at her before turning away with a blushing face, once more seeing that her hand was inside her yukata, gripping something there. Not wanting to think about it, he averted his gaze from the girl until she grunted and squatted in front of the pool in front of her.

It was only then that Touma took the time to speak his thoughts on where they were?

"This is a bit cliché, isn't it? For a festival visit, I mean."

"The reason clichés work is because they are the tried and true ability of any particular focus. Romance stories need misunderstandings to develop feelings. Battle stories need a heroine to save. And festival stories need the goldfish scoop!"

That was right.

The two of them were, right now, standing in front of the legendary goldfish scoop store. The inflatable pool in front of them was filled to the brim and swimming with small orange coloured fish, swinging back and forth without a care in the world. A few paused and stared up at the boy and girl, the way their gaze was held only holding mocking as if the fish were laughing at them for not being certain as to their ability to complete the task in front of them, despite how easy it seemed.

After all, all they had to do was get the small scoop Misaki now had in her hand, something Touma now held in his hand now as the man handed him one, and scoop up the goldfish. Naturally, as Touma looked closer at the film in the ring he was given, the springy feeling of it felt incredibly flimsy but given that these were disposable, that made sense.

He turned it in his hand and squatted down next to Misaki who had rolled up her sleeves, the girl having his tongue sticking up and curled on her upper lip in intense concentration.

"But what makes this stall so much better than the others? Sure, this can be competitive at times, but is that the only appeal it has?" Touma asked curiously as he stared at the orange forms swimming inside the pool. It was rather disappointing to him that the only thing he could think about as he looked at them was what side dishes would fit well with them when fried.

"Ha! For the untrained eye, that might be the case!" Misaki cried out in triumph and puffed out her chest with pride. "But, for an expert like me, you can instantly see what separates this stall from every other!"

"I thought you said this was your first time doing this."

"Your memory doesn't exactly have the best track record, so I don't want to hear that from you. You were clearly mistaken!" Misaki said with pride as she pointed at the goldfish pool in front of them. "Can you not see the special goldfish that are contained within this pool?"

Touma frowned, feeling the sting from Misaki's words ever so slightly but staring at the pool with her finger. The only thing he saw in it was a collection of orange swirling around…until something flashed in his sight that he did not see before.

The brown colour flashed for only an instant before being lost in the orange. Touma looked up in interest to Misaki who spoke with fever.

"Did you see it? Now _that_ small fish was the highlight of this goldfish scoop. In no other place within Academy City and at no other time will you see such a rare sight as the one who just saw, Kamijou-san."

"What was it?"

"An extra rare fish, something that eludes capture no matter how many times you do this. In fact, the ring that the stall owner kindly gave us is not made to handle this fish in the first place so it has become the task of many who have visited this stall to try and catch this legendary fish in the hopes of completing the task that has eluded so many."

"…You're getting awfully excited for this." Touma said with a somewhat interested stare. Even though he did not really understand what it was about that small brown fish that was so interesting, the way Misaki spoke about it piqued his interest more than he was willing to admit. "So, what kind of fish is it that you can only grab here?"

"A member of the Tetraodontidae family."

"…I'm assuming that had some kind of meaning but for the useless Kamijou-san, can you please you proper Japanese!?"

"A pufferfish."

"…"

"…"

"I'm leaving."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!? A-Aren't you supposed to be all excite about this and try your best to catch the pufferfish? It's only a baby, but still, can't you feel the excitement ability rushing through your head as you hold this ring and challenge it?"

"Are you an idiot?!" Touma shot back, thrusting the ring in front of Misaki's face. "The moment that you even touch one of these things against the pufferfish, it's going to expand and rip a whole in this crappy thing! Is this a cash grab? Because let me tell you that this Kamijou-san's wallet has a danger sense for this type of thing. And it's blaring like there is no tomorrow!"

"Hah…this is why you are only Level 0, Kamijou-san." Misaki said with a haughty tone, placing a finger underneath her chin and wagging a finger in front of her. "You fail to think outside the box for this type of thing."

"You're the last person I want to hear that from you unathletic girl! Who wears a school swimsuit to a wave pool anyway?! Why didn't you visit a swimsuit shop beforehand?! "

"I-It was school custom so there's nothing I can do about it! And what do swimsuits have to do with thinking outside the box anyway?! And we did visit one two days ago before you rudely decided that it was inappropriate!"

"I…did!? How…How could I have been so stupid!? Without it, where's the variety? The choice?! There's something wrong when the world is only limited to school swimsuits! You need to increase the impact you have with a variety of other choices!"

"…It doesn't even matter anyway unless you see it, so what's the point?"

"!"

Touma went red in the face at the frank words of Misaki, the girl giving him a big smile as she looked at him seemingly deflate and sit back down quietly. His face was still red and he turned his head to the side, mumbling something underneath his breath which Misaki did not catch. She only grinned further now, leaning in close to Touma and pressing her finger against his cheek.

"Oh? Ohohohohohoho? Did I say something pretty good there? Don't tell me that got your heart racing." Misaki giggled and Touma refused to say anything, the girl only electing to put her head on the boy's shoulder and continue speaking.

"Well apart from your rather fantastic illusions – "

"I'm a normal high school boy so I can get away with this! Please don't discuss this issue anymore!"

" – Like I was saying," Misaki said as she poked Touma in the cheek some more with a grin on her face. "The whole point of the film on the ring in this case is for it to broken when you pick up the pufferfish."

"What's the point in that?!"

"The point is that what we want to do is get the pufferfish caught inside the ring when it when it expands. The inner circumference of this ring we have been given apparently is wide enough to capture it when it expands but the only way to do that is to make it expand and get stuck."

"But then it's just going to deflate and escape."

"And _that_ is what makes it a challenge." Misaki grinned as she held the scoop over the pool. "Trying to get the pufferfish stuck and whisking it out before it can deflate. Once that happens, it's yours."

"…And then what? I can't take this home. I can just imagine one of my roommates eating it and dying a horrible death."

"You think too much."

"Not according to my teachers!"

"You've got to live in the moment Kamijou-san! Today isn't going to come…again!"

Misaki roared and sent the ring into the water but did so with too much force, the film over the top breaking as soon as she hit the water. With small 'plop' sounds, the film fell from the ring and hit the water, the girl staring at it with wide eyes and a shocked face. She blinked once, turning to Touma and her eyes sparkled all the same but the embarrassed blush on her face told much more.

"Th-That was a practice run."

"I'm more amazed that you can say that with a straight face." Touma said with exasperation before he sighed before his face broke into a great grin. He rolled up his sleeves, holding his ring in front of the water and waiting for the spot of brown to appear in front of him for him to scoop. There was a glint in his eyes as he stared at the water, speaking as he looked at Misaki in the corner of his eye.

"But if this is what I need to do to make you happy and make up to you what I owe you…then it's time for the this high school boy to show what he's made of!"

Touma's eyes sparked with energy as he caught the sight of something brown within the pool of orange, striking with the expert precision of a hunter.

And naturally, the film over the ring shattered as soon as he hit the water.

With the same pathetic 'plop' sounds, the pieces of the film hit the water, Touma looking at the ring in surprise. He turned to Misaki who was looking rather dead given her expectations but Touma only shattered them with his next words.

"…I think I need a better ring."

"That was the worst thing you could have said! Even I did better!"

"Is that so!? Well then, it's on! Prepare to lose, Shokuhou Misaki!"

"That's my line! You're going down, Kamijou Touma!"

"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Both screamed as they snatched new rings from the stall owner (who strangely had been silent the entire time they had been speaking), plunging them into the water as it splashed everywhere and the entire point of the exercise had been forgotten.

But even so, the fact that they could do even that and be able to say and remember each other's name was what held great meaning. The mere fact that they were able to do things together was what allowed them both to smile no matter the past they had once had and lived through.

The only thing that mattered to the both of them now were their present smiles.

And the worth in that was evident in how neither Kamijou Touma or Shokuhou Misaki once thought of leaving the other's side as long as they smiled.

* * *

It was not surprising that both Misaki and Touma had failed to catch anything at the goldfish stall except for perhaps a cold in the future. With their hair dripping wet from where they had splashed carelessly and parts of their clothes also showing signs of dampness, the chaos that had been the attempt at goldfish scooping still sat fresh in their minds.

"…We're getting stares."

"…This yukata isn't see through is it? I'm not wearing any underwear beneath it as the custom so I'm a bit worried."

"?!"

The carefree words of Misaki made Touma's heart leap out of his chest as he stared at the girl sitting next to him as the crowd thickened.

The shine of the sun on her hair made it sparkle like it was gold and the way she pressed her body tighter against herself emphasized particular parts of her that truly made one question whether she was in middle school. Not only that, but the way the fabric of her yukata sparkled and moved like a kaleidoscope only further gave the impression of beauty she seemed to natural give off, further emphasized by the water that was dripping down her bare neck nape as she was wearing her hair up.

Pausing only for a moment as he stared at the beauty who was so casually sitting next to him, Touma reacted frantically, taking off his jacket and throwing it around her. he turned his head away from Misaki for a moment, the girl looking surprised at the action as he struggled to hide the growing blush on his face, the momentary sparkle Misaki had given off only making him pause for the slightest of moments.

"H-Here. Wear this…just in case."

The warmth that was immediately given to her through the jacket made Misaki pause herself, watching Touma look away with the faintest of red on his face. Misaki grinned, preparing to say something but held back on her words, finding that the warmth being given by the jacket only seemed to wrap all around herself.

She held it close, bringing her hands to the sleeves and pushing them up to her nose. The material was slightly damp from the goldfish scoop but even then, the lingering scent that came through the slightly damp cloth was not uncomfortable at all for that single girl. She sat there for a single moment, taking in the sensations around her of sight, scent and touch and losing herself in what was around her and where they came from.

"…Thank you."

A small silence came over the two of them, Misaki wearing Touma's jacket over her yukata and Touma sitting with his face turned from Misaki, noting the people in the crowds in front of them. The growing number of people around lunchtime was not the usual group of people who were coming to get the early birds deals; from their clothing, it seemed that this it was really people who wanted to visit the festival for festival reasons.

The girls and boys in yukatas made Touma stand out even more as he sat down and looked at them, his face relaxing slightly.

"…To think that I would be coming here with _you_."

Touma's voice held a small bit of melancholy and reflection within it, Misaki going silent. She let go of the jacket over her and nodded, scooting over to the side and grabbing Touma's arm with both hands.

"The same thing came to my mind as well. I…I didn't think that this time would be given to me either. But it has. And for that, I am grateful." Misaki's words held a truth she never thought she would deny, the growing sound around them only giving them the impression that they were not alone anymore within this space.

"I guess you would also be grateful for something to eat. We spent way too much time at that goldfish scoop."

"…Preferably somewhere without meat. After yesterday, I don't think that I can look at meat again for a while."

"Yesterday?"

Misaki felt something within her heart jump, turning and facing Touma in the face. His face held genuine confusion and it was the worst within her mind that made her feel as though her heart sank and her breathing become faster.

No…

It couldn't be…

"Y-Yes. Yesterday." Misaki said, finding that her voice and tone was rather desperate of all things. "At the yakiniku? All the meat we ate?"

Touma stared at her for a while before going wide eyed. He nodded, doing so in a hurried way as if to reassure the girl next to him that what she was imagining was not the case at all.

"Ah, yeah. Yesterday. Sorry…last time I went with another girl, she wanted to eat yakiniku a few hours after. I'm not used to dealing with…normal appetites. It makes sense that you'd not want to look or even think of meat afterwards."

Misaki stared at Touma, finding something within her heart relax at the words of the boy, even if the smallest bit of doubt remained in her mind. She forced it out though, shaking her head and facing forward and tightening her grip on the boy's arm as if doing so would prevent him from getting away.

She wanted just a little bit more time before the truth of whether this Final Day was revealed; whether Touma would be able to remember her properly or not. Just a little bit more time to enjoy this small moment and this time that she was enjoying and loving with the boy by her side.

…Was that too much to ask?

"…I'm more surprised that you mentioned another girl when you're with me. That doesn't exactly add to the excitement ability of what we are doing, you know. Although, this is you we're talking about. So I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"…There were some harsh words there but might I ask what exactly you think you are preventing by restricting my movements and keeping my by your side?"

"It's called marking territory. You're mine for today and I'm going to challenge anyone who thinks otherwise. You still have a lot to give back to me after all."

Misaki said those words with a flash in her eyes as she stared forward, looking in front of her at the numerous girls who were passing by her and Touma. She had no idea if they knew him but if they did, then Misaki had something she had to protect and present forward and she was willing to fight anyone when it came down to it for the sake of protecting what she held next to her.

Touma though only had a sour face on as he figured there were implications Misaki was making in the words he did not fully understand. Even so though, he spoke, trying to shift his way away from Misaki given how tightly she was holding him, the girl only pressing him tighter towards her.

"W-Well, trying to give back to a Tokiwadai ojou-sama is certainly no easy task."

"You've been doing a fine job of it so far. And I hope that you can continue to do so for the remainder of today."

Misaki's instant reply and request made Touma smile a tiny bit as he stared forward, giving a small nod in response. He opened his mouth to say something but was overpowered by feedback coming from the speakers around them. He winced, Misaki and everyone else doing the same as well. Touma looked up and turned his head around to look at the nearest speaker, raising an eyebrow as he looked at it.

"So they're even doing things with the PA system? I guess this type of event has a lot of lost children around."

"Actually, I think Academy City is a bit unique in that. After all, 80% of the population are students and espers sent here by their families so the demographic for family relationships are pretty small. It's rare to have lost children and I've barely come across any myself."

"Really? Every second day, I tend to find one or another."

"…And that is exactly what I'm talking about and why I'm not letting you go."

"Why are you treating me like I'm some kind of criminal, from just my misfortune!?"

"(Looks like the rumours were true. Any girl, no matter how young or old…)"

"?"

Touma clearly had no idea what Misaki was getting at with her demonic whispering but before he could ask, the PA system overheard came to life, sending out the type of tune that one would definitely associate with the eastern Island Nation. The smoothing melodies of a folk dance came through, surprising both boy and girl as they sat there and watched the passing crowd.

"Huh." Misaki said as she looked up at the PA system. "I never thought they would broadcast the folk dance through the speakers. Maybe it has to do with the limited space around the bonfire and the number of people coming. Looks like there are going to be some people who are not going to be dancing near the fire this year."

There was something within her tone.

Touma was not sure what it was, why he felt what he did in the exact next moment and why he acted in the way he did.

The only thing that he knew was that he was moving and speaking before he even knew it.

He stood up, dragging the jacket from Misaki and putting it on himself. The movement attracted the attention of Misaki but surprising her as she looked down at the hand proffered in front of her. She stared at it without really understanding what it was doing there before Touma grinned and winked at her.

"I suppose something like this might be a bit foreign at an all-girls school. But even so, I'm sure that you've read enough shoujo manga to know what's coming next."

"?"

Touma grinned as Misaki tilted her head, not understanding still.

"May I have this dance, my lady?"

Misaki's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped. A tinge of pink went to her cheeks as she looked at the hand in front of her and in her soul, she knew that there was only one thing she could really do, _had_ to do in order to make today and this moment last forever within her mind.

Despite the surprise, there was no hesitation.

"Of course…my Prince."

Shokuhou Misaki grabbed the hand given to her and was lifted up carefully. She was straightened and Touma grinned, grabbing her other hand in his own and extending them both out. The other hand though, Touma carefully extended towards Misaki's back, Misaki showing no restraint as she did the same. She rose an eyebrow, smiling all the while.

"You _do_ realize that Japanese folk songs are not really that high in compatibility ability with ballroom dancing?"

"…Neither is Kamijou Touma." Touma said with a sheepish grin.

"Well then," Misaki only grinned herself and took the first step, using the knowledge of the techniques she had learned as a high class girl within Tokiwadai to guide her. "We better do something about that."

* * *

So they did.

* * *

Each movement was slow as the folk music, being tested over the PA system ran through the festival grounds. They attracted stares and looks of recognition from boys and girls alike but there was nothing else but the two of them in the world of Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma.

Each step Misaki guided Touma with and true to his word, it seemed as though he really was unacclimated to ballroom dancing. It didn't matter to Misaki though, each word she spoke being one Touma followed and each glance of their eyes at each other making their eyes hold each other before the next movement.

All the while, they held each other.

Their hand holding gave them warmth, their bodies close to each other gave them warmth and their smiles gave them warmth.

And as they danced, or at least, as Misaki taught Touma how to dance, she knew that there was no way Touma was going to make her the happiest girl in the world.

Not when she already was.

* * *

The silence of the hill the two of them sat on was only broken by the people beneath them and the summer cicadas around them. Looking down over the festival, the blue of the sky had turned black, the lights in front of them only being that of the festival lights and the bonfire. Over the PA system, the light sound of the festival music came through but the smile on Misaki's lips only held as she felt the memories of what she had done in the time since dancing come through her.

She had gone to every stall and had a look at everything. But what made it perfect for her was not the things she did but rather, who she did them with. Even though the events of what had happened came through her mind, it was more who she was spending them with which made all the difference to her.

Sitting down, panting because of the trek up the hill, Misaki smoothed out the yukata she wore and smiled, seeing that Touma was lying down next to her and staring up at the sky. The stars overhead shone down at them, as if giving them a blessing and Misaki joined him, their stomachs already having their fill throughout the rest of the day.

"We certainly did a lot, didn't we?" Misaki asked with a small voice, finding that it was oddly soft.

"Yeah. Yeah, we did."

Touma replied briefly, staring up into the sky above them and squinting as if trying to pick out the constellations. Misaki let out a small laugh, doing the same and using her high-class knowledge to pick out the necessary ones within her mind.

"It's hard to believe that these stars are the same ones that have always looked over us." Touma said suddenly, Misaki turning to him and finding that his gaze was serious, oddly so. She frowned, unsure of what to think about him and what he was saying but only nodding, peering up into the sky once more as she spoke.

"And they will continue to be the stars that will look over us. Even when we are long gone, the stars above us will remain. Much like tradition, people, legends and stories. Even when we are gone, those will remain."

"Have you ever thought about it?"

"About what?"

"Leaving a story behind. …Although that might not mean much to a Level 5 who already is remembered."

Misaki did not answer immediately but finding herself thinking and wondering what she had been asked. Even this time she had with the boy next to her was precious and was more than she could ask for. The simple ability for the two of them to converse with each other in this way was more than she could ever think she would be given and the opportunity to spend her days like this only felt like a warm dream that she never wanted to wake up from.

"…Level 5s are remembered for different things, Kamijou-san. But personally, if you're asking, I've never thought about leaving a story behind. I've always been satisfied with what I have now, but I think it's not that type of story that is worth leaving behind."

"Oh? How so?"

Touma now turned to face her and sat up, Misaki still lying on the ground.

"Stories can be changed. But overtime, they lose impact. They become legends and myths and points of discussion and heated debates about whether they are true or not. Even if the world has become digitalized and a record of a life can be remembered, the impact that that life had will only be remembered in the time it was lived in. Being a Level 5 today means nothing tomorrow if the story has been changed. Living a life where we are forgotten, I think that is what stories become."

"Forgotten…"

"That is what a story is. At least for me. So…what it comes down to is not the story that is left behind. To be honest, even if I have a story, I won't be around to remember it. No, what matters to me would have to be what I take away from things. What I can have for myself in an experience and what I can hold to myself and claim as my own."

"…"

Touma's silence spoke volumes of his lack of understanding. No, was he silent because he knew what she was talking about and was thinking the same thing? The things Misaki did not know even now about the boy across from her filled her mind but she spoke again, looking to the stars.

She took a deep breath, trying to find the words to say and managing to do so.

"A long, long time ago, there was a single girl."

She had said those words a few days ago, in this exact same position. But for her, right now, they had a different sort of weight.

"This girl had a story. A story that would surely be told by others who respected her and of the impact ability she had on the world. For that alone, for anyone in the world, she would not be forgotten, but rather, respected and loved. For this and in the eyes of everyone else, she would have been happy. And looking at what she had, this girl knew she _should_ have been happy. She had a story. She had weight. She had respect. She was loved. She should have been happy. But…it was not the case."

Misaki closed her eyes and spoke more, feeling the things she had to say rolling off her chest.

"Because what she wanted was not those small things. It was something else she was seeking, something less big and large. The only thing that she wanted was the restoration of a small connection, a connection that would not have mattered to that story. It would do nothing to the weight she had on the world, the respect she had or the amount she would have been loved. The only thing that she wanted only had weight to her and nothing else. But to her, having that one thing held more to her than that story. It meant more to her than any mark she might have had on the world. Because what she was looking for was not to be remembered by the world. But rather…just by one person. And that was the only story she wanted: not of her and how brilliant she was. But a story that involved the both of them. The story of Shokuhou Misaki…and Kamijou Touma."

She rose, seeing that Touma was looking into the distance.

"And for giving me that story…I truly want to thank you."

And yet, although those were the words she said…

Kamijou Touma turned his head _down._

Shokuhou Misaki's breath caught in her throat at that simple action.

When she thought about it, as much as she didn't want to, today had been filled with hints. Hints of something that should not have been happening but had happened before to her so long ago.

It had happened when they had been talking about swimsuits. His reaction to when Misaki had mentioned her plan to drag him into a swimsuit shop two days ago had been _as if he never remembered it._

It had happened when she had told Touma how she did not want to see meat again after their yakiniku. Although he had changed his answer, the way he had said it the first time was _as if he never remembered it._

And his reaction just now.

When she was talking about the story between the two of them why did he keep his head down _as if he were ashamed of it?_

Something was happening. But that was to be expected.

Today was the Third and Final Day.

The day where the truth of Kamijou Touma's memories would be revealed.

She didn't want to ask. She knew that with everything she had. She wanted today to go on forever and she wanted to lose herself in this moment and this time with this boy for more time to come. She didn't want to send it all crashing down herself but despite the trembling of her body, she knew that slowly pulling of this bandage would only crush her.

She had to know.

"Kamijou-san?"

She asked in a quiet voice as she sat up, finding that her throat was dry, her mind was blank and her heart was thumping in her chest at a thousand miles an hour.

She did not want to do this.

But she knew she had to.

Because sometimes it was the greatest mental power user who needed to strongest mind of all.

"Do you…still remember me?"

* * *

 **I think I won't be saying much here and leave it at that. How many chapters are left? You'll see...**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Review at your leisure; we still enjoy enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	5. The Bad End

**Alright so... observe the title to this chapter before reading. It is there for a reason.**

 **And, as a personal request from me; even if this tears out your hearts... please stay until the author's note at the end. I have something to talk about with you all.**

 **That said... I hope enjoy.**

* * *

The sound of the summer cicadas were the only immediate response to the question that left the trembling lips of Shokuhou Misaki. The festival below them and the flow of people at said festival while the two of them sat on the solitary hill without another soul seemed distant, as if she and Kamijou Touma were the only two people in the world.

For the past few days, Misaki had indeed felt that it was the case.

Her fists trembled by her side, Touma hanging his head down. The light of the stalls reflected on his face but given the angle his head was at, she could not see the expression he was making. Gently and trying not to make her own trembling obvious, she carefully reached for the hand that was grabbing at the grass intently and shaking just as much as her own.

The warmth that she felt when their hands touched only made her heart race and provided the sense of security it always had for these past few days…but never had Misaki felt that the chill that came with it would ever be something she would experience.

Today was the Final Day that Touma could possibly remember her. Through some miracle, he had managed to remember her but while that was nothing short of eternal bliss for Misaki, there was a chance that even if he had remembered her, it was only a temporary measure. While Misaki wanted nothing more for that to not be the case, today had been filled with hints suggesting that the conclusion she wanted to avoid at all costs.

When she had mentioned her plan to go to a swimsuit shop two days ago earlier today, Touma had reacted as if he had never remembered it.

When she had told him of her lack of willingness to eat meat because of the yakiniku they had had yesterday, the way he had initially reacted was as if he had never remembered that event in the first place.

And just now, when she had told him of the story between the two of them, the hanging of his head held something within it…as if he were _ashamed_ and hiding something he could not afford to have known.

It was possible that the events of the last few days would not last. And despite how much Misaki wished it were not the case, she knew she could not afford to avert her eyes any longer.

Kamijou Touma trembled as he felt the touch, not bothering to turn away or stand and run. Instead, the only thing that he did was hold his head down, expression the same as always and unseeable. But then again, the silence and the trembling only pressed down on Misaki's heart with a greater weight than she had ever felt in her life.

"My Prince?"

Misaki felt her own voice wavering as she reached with her other hand and touched Touma's with her hand. She needed something, an anchor to hide her racing heart. The possible answer Touma was going to give and the negative to the question she had asked only gave her more fright than anything else in the world.

But with nothing but speculation, the only thing that came with it was fright, terror and nothing more than the truest fear she had ever felt in her life.

"Do you…remember me?"

Touma opened his mouth…

Only to close it and bite down on his lip so hard that it drew blood. He reached over with his other hand, expression still unseeable in the shadow being cast on it and touched Misaki's hands that were covering his own and wrapping it around hers. He turned his face and it was in that single moment with the two of them sitting on that hill, hands wrapped around each other that Shokuhou Misaki knew.

The answer did not even need to be said with the expression that was on Touma's face.

Only the conclusion came through to her.

Her story, the one she had loved over the past few days…was coming to an end.

Pure sorrow and perhaps disgust at himself was on it mixed with a sadness in his eyes that he could never hide. His eyes seemed to be on the edge of breaking down and it was nothing but with the force of whatever will he had that it seemed Touma refused to break down into whatever state he wanted to, if only for the girl in front of him.

The girl who, in the face of the expression he was making, only felt the ice cold pick of reality stab into her chest.

This had been a miracle after all, a fantasy story that she had cast herself into and one where she had the chance to ride into the sunset with her Prince.

But with the face he was making, it was the illusion of such a story that was instantly shattered.

This was reality after all.

And sometimes there were no happy endings.

Touma opened his mouth, his lip trebling and the drop of blood rolling down his mouth, saying the dreaded words that Misaki never wanted to hear. As if a further stake, they drove home and made her shoulders jump with how terrible and impactful an effect they had on her soul.

 _"I'm sorry."_

The words felt as though they were forced out and Misaki released a breath she did not know she had been withholding. It came out shaky, her heart racing beyond anything else and only staring at the boy in front of her, staring at him and his expression. She watched it transform, turn into shame and more sorrow but most of all, it was the effect in his eyes that made it clear exactly the effect the reality of the situation was having on him.

He was shattered.

Through some miracle, he had managed to remember her.

But that miracle had now come to an end. Through whatever means, the time limit that Shokuhou did not know existed was slowly running out and the time that the two of them had spent together was going to be nothing more than what it had always been.

Nothing more than a forgotten memory for Kamijou Touma.

And nothing more than a treasured memory for Shokuhou Misaki.

But that was all it would be: nothing more than a memory and something that had happened in the past.

What exactly was the face Misaki was making now? She did not know but the way that her body seemed to slump and the way that she felt the hand beneath her shaking, the expression on her face was sure to mirror the shattered one of Touma's. The despair and the horror at what he had said was an unspeakable taboo, a shattering of the time Misaki had felt would continue into eternity.

Yet, the spell had been broken. The magic was gone and the time that they had spent together slowly fading away into the abyss of blackness where the memories of Shokuhou Misaki in Touma's mind would always go.

He would not remember this.

Not any of it.

The weight of it all was overbearing. Like a wall, it hit Misaki head on with a physical presence than merely an emotional one and the breathing that she tried to control was one that she struggled to do, only losing herself in the face of her companion. But even then, she realized that doing so was a folly; it only thrust forward her position even more in front of her than she ever wanted.

Touma, out of pure shame, turned his head away and it was that action that resulted in Misaki tightening her grip on his hand. The movement made him pause in mid-turn, the shadow once more coming onto his face all the same as the two of them sat in a silence that seemed to stretch on forever and only stab into their hearts even more.

Shokuhou Misaki did not know what her expression was, but she knew the effect those words had had on her. The trembling in her hand, the racing of her heart and the ice-cold feeling within her heart were testaments to that.

But this was their precious time.

And she was not going to let it pass so easily without holding onto whatever vestiges of it there were left.

"You're…forgetting me then?"

The words felt as though they had a physical presence with how they made Touma jump. He turned his head away, but it was only because of the squeezing of her hand that Misaki even indicated to him that she wanted him to stay.

She had started this and now that it was ending, she intended to see it through to the end.

Just like she always had.

Touma paused for a moment, his face cast into darkness before he opened his mouth, letting out words that seemed to be more forced and as if they cut into his own heart more than Misaki as he spoke. No, perhaps the words he was speaking were ones of self-derision, a curse upon himself for the crime he had committed in not holding onto this miracle longer than he needed to.

"…It's small things."

"Small?"

Misaki prodded, more amazed at herself for her ability to do so. No, even now, the mask she was wearing of calmness, of kindness, was only because of the boy who was next to her.

Without him, she was sure that she would have broken the moment that he had not answered immediately and from the two words that held so much pain and horror for the both of them. With every ounce of her being, she desired to flee, to run and escape from this nightmare, but it was only because of Touma that she stayed.

It was obvious to her after all, both in his face and in his personality.

The person who was hurting the most was him. The person who was the most shattered was that boy next to her, the person who always desired the best for anyone and for everyone around him.

And right now, he had betrayed the one person who he had finally saved. He had given her the chance at salvation and for three days had managed to make her life perfect, make her smile and now had once more cast her into the flames of the hell she had lived without his knowledge.

A smile he would never remember.

Memories he would never recall.

The ability to make Misaki happy was being destroyed before his very eyes and the fact that he could not even remember what he was taking from her would have been the deepest cut on his heart. The shaking of his body, the labored words and the fact that he seemed more fragile than even the memories he was losing indicated that, if anyone, the person this was affecting the most was ironically, Kamijou Touma.

After all, he would remember none of this.

And that was what made the cuts and the reality stab all the deeper.

"I…" Touma paused, unsure of what even to say and it was with what strength she had that Shokuhou Misaki tightened her grip in her yukata as they sat on that small hill. The moon shining down on them was their only witness, silent in judgment and silent as an observer as Shokuhou spoke.

"You?"

"I…I can't remember how I got here."

Touma eventually broke out with those words, as hesitant and shaky as they came out.

"I don't know how I got here. To this exact spot on this hill. The steps I took, the things I did… And it was the moment I realized that that I figured out I don't remember the past few days clearly. The events and what happened, I can't remember any of it. I'm…I'm losing you. I can feel it. In my head…I'm losing you and everything that I remember about you is falling apart at the seams."

"Do you…know how much time ability you have left with me?"

Those words were enough to make Touma grit his teeth so hard it was audible. He hung his head, trembling all the same but even Misaki could see it shaking in the darkness.

"…Maybe a day? Maybe an hour? I don't know. But the only thing I know is that I'm going to lose you. I…I'm going to lose you and your smile and I won't even know that I did it. I won't even remember that I lost someone who had every right to be happy and had every right to smile. And I won't even remember that I'm the reason that you lost it in the first place!"

Touma yelled that out, slamming his left hand into the dirt.

"I…I failed you. Goddamn it. Goddamn it! I had one thing to do. One fucking thing to remember and yet I let it slip through my fingers. I let the one thing that I had to hold onto tighter than anything else slip through when I should never have let it do so in the first place. And I won't remember this. I won't remember anything of this. Not you, the days we spent or the smile you lost. The things that you have gained, you are going to lose. No, more than that…"

Kamijou grit his teeth hard and drove his fingers into the dirt, screaming out the words.

" _I'm the one who is going to be ripping that from you!"_

The despair was clear in his voice and the absolute sorrow could not be contained whatsoever.

"I'm going to tear that away from you. You have every right to be happy and yet the times that you were I'm going to take from you. I have no right to think that you were only happy because of me but the smile and the moment we shared when we first learnt of it is something that even I can feel slipping away. …I don't want it. I don't want to forget! Even if it's from a distance or by your side, I want to stand somewhere where I can see your smile and realize the worth in it instead of just carelessly thinking it has nothing to do with me!"

Touma turned his face out of the shadows, moving his right hand out of Misaki's grasp. She did not bother to try and grab him once again, the face he was showing her being one she stared at in complete shock and also astonishment at the pure despair contained within.

Was there anyone else who had seen the despair that was on his face?

Maybe one other.

But the fact that Kamijou Touma placed the tragedy he was forming on the same level as that other person only showed how much the weight of this crime was bearing down on his heart.

"But it means nothing."

Touma's head was still hung down and the words he spat out seemed to be both to apologize and yet to also stab himself with in the knowledge of what he was doing.

"I can't have what I want. Like everything, the misfortune that surrounds me has entirely destroyed whatever happiness you are owed Shokuhou. And it makes me sick. It makes me sick in the knowledge that no matter what I feel now, what I am feeling right now is meaningless because I will never remember it! I will never remember this heartache, this pain and this suffering that I am giving you and for the life of me, there is nothing that I can do to stop it. You're fading. You're disappearing and I don't want you to go! I want you to stay and no matter how much I want you to not go, you're going to disappear from me and my life. So, I'm sorry. From the very bottom of my heart, despite the scum that I am, asking for something to make myself feel better when you are the one who is going to be suffering in the end…"

Touma backed away slightly and did not even pause, slamming his head into the dirt of the hill and screaming out the words.

"Please forgive me. Please forgive me! You, more than anyone, are owed a happy ending. And yet… And yet…"

Touma trembled as he did a dogeza pose but no fragment of shame was going to prevent him from saying what he needed to say from the bottom of his heart.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GIVE YOU YOUR HAPPY ENDING!"

The words he spoke, words of defeat and of the fact that he was admitting a fault of his own creation were perhaps the words that he had never wanted to say nor accept. But it was only with the heavy heart of bitterness and tragedy that he screamed out those words from the depths of the soul which was crying out as much as the physical voice was.

"I loved the time we spent together. But I can't treasure it. No matter how much I want to and no matter how much I want to know that the time we spent was worth it, the fact that I can't remember it means that it has that worth. It has the type of worth that can easily fade! And your smile by association is implied to have that value even though it is worth more than anything. If you are owed anything, Shokuhou, it is that right to smile. And yet I have the nerve to steal that away from you. I have the nerve to forget and the nerve to never remember this no matter how much I want to hold it in my hands as it slips through them. So please… Even though I haven't earned it…"

Touma bent his head even lower as he begged out his only wish.

"Please forgive me! Please…forgive me…"

It was repeated, soft and trembling as if he were a child who had lost something more precious to him than anything.

Touma on the other hand only trembled herself. She did not rise her hands to her mouth to hold back the choked sobs nor to wipe away the tears that she wanted to have leak from her eyes. She did not turn and run with everything she had nor did she berate and hate Touma for the pain that was flowing endlessly within her heart.

No.

The pain she was feeling was one that she had felt before.

But perhaps, right now, it was even stronger because of what Touma had said.

There was a single misunderstanding in the words he was saying, one that he did not realize himself. Yet it was one that Shokuhou Misaki could not let stand or stay in his mind for a moment longer.

"My Prince…"

Misaki reached out, stroking the boy's spiky hair as he flinched. No, perhaps the sensation of her fingers to his hair was one that he knew he was going to forget and, because of it, could no longer innocently believe that there was something to be treasured there. The fact that there was a lingering feeling of warmth only spread iciness throughout his soul because of how it was nothing more than a passing sensation, a momentary feeling that would soon disappear.

But the fact that he did even that was the misunderstanding here.

"You're wrong, you know."

The confusion Touma had in that was obvious but, out of shame, he dared not raise his head.

Misaki only smiled, leaning in close and placing her forehead onto the boy's head, feeling the gelled spikes of his hair press playfully against her face as she whispered her words, letting her own hair dance down past the boy's face.

"There is nothing to forgive. Forgiving suggests that there was something bad in this. That the memory that this has is going to be something I am going to look back on with contempt ability and coldness. But that is the wrong thinking from the get go. It's false and if you think that you forgetting is something that needs to be forgiven, then I can't forgive you for _that."_

Misaki reached down, grabbing Touma's head and slowly lifting it up. He did not resist, the only thing that was within his body being compliance as Misaki brought her forehead and rested it on his. They were so close that their heated breaths pressed against each other and it was only the warmth that they felt in the other's presence that they lost themselves in now, two companions in the night.

"This was a miracle. The past three days have been a dream for me. One that I never felt that I had to wake up from nor wanted to. But it's time that we return back to reality and away from the fairy tale the two of us have been a part of."

"I…"

Touma trembled all the same as he felt the weight of the words and the impact of them only drive deeper into his soul.

"I don't want to. I don't want…to forget. I don't want to leave you when you are owed a smile. I want…this to continue. I don't want this story to end the way it has!"

"Shhhh." Misaki said that silently as she pressed her forehead harder against Touma's. He went silent, Misaki raising her hands and moving them through his spiky hair slowly. "Don't talk…just listen. You always have been good at that, haven't you?"

Misaki parted her forehead and slowly caressed Touma's cheek all the same, feeling the warmth of his face and losing herself in the sight of his eyes as they stared back at her like a child who had lost something precious to him.

"I was happy. Just these few days, this fairy tale, has been enough to make me happy. Three days? It felt like so much more. And I was saved the moment that you remembered me in that hospital room. Nothing can take that away from me. Nothing. Nothing will take this memory away from me and even if I am the only one who remembers and places weight on it, I am not going to let it slip through my fingers no matter what. We are merely returning to what we once had and once lived through. With you and me being strangers in the night."

Misaki nodded, smiling all the same and tilting her head to the side.

"Even if you forget, even if you never remember me again, I will never lose this moment. I will never lose these three days nor the memory that comes with them. Even if it is just me, then there is nothing else I need to place worth on these memories. Even if you forget, that does not lessen how important they have been to me and how, just for this small moment, I was happy. So, there is nothing to forgive. After all, how can you ask for forgiveness ability when you saved me all the same?"

Misaki did not waste any time, not bothering to hold back what it was she wanted to unleash as she slowly, ever so slowly, wrapped her arms around the back of the boy sitting in front of her.

"So, no tears. And no forgiveness. Only memories, even if they will not be remembered. For this last night together… What I want to remember is us. Us…and the smiles we forged together before we once more become strangers in the night."

They were powerful words.

And they seemed enough to be the ones to break the hardened spirit and core of the boy who was so trembling and afraid of the future that was to come.

He rose his arms and placed them around Misaki's, trembling all the same. No, it was more than that.

The tears that he did not bother to withhold fell from his cheeks as he silently wept, trying his best to make this a memory but making it nothing more than a mess. His body shook as Misaki held him, the girl silently stroking his back and making soothing sounds but no matter what she did, the tears of the boy would not stop.

He had made her happy.

But he could not _make_ her happy.

The miracle the two of them had had run out of stock and the role Touma had in that was enough to shatter whatever sense of withholding those tears he had. There was no need for it, the forgiveness he was given but did not deserve being the only thing that unleashed the dam of emotions held within him.

But even those tears were meaningless.

They were being shed for a memory that he would not remember and was doomed to forget once more. Since that was the case, the tears he was shedding because of the betrayal he had conducted were not for him but rather for the girl who was holding him, the two of them losing themselves in the presence of the other before they became strangers in the night once more.

The fairy tale was ending and there was nothing left but the hurt that came with the start of real life that had to continue ever onwards for the both of them.

But even then, both Touma and Misaki understood one thing.

Even if Touma had been forgiven, there was worth in Misaki's smile. And the fact that this momentary miracle had turned into nothing more than a memory was as if the was world laughing at the both of them for the happiness of that very girl. Despite her wanting and reaching for it, despite her staying strong, it was not to be, and she was not have it.

Like the memories of Touma, the happiness she was owed had fallen through her grasp.

It had disappeared and the only thing that was left were the two sorrowful beings of the boy and girl who had been once connected and held each other in their warmth.

No one saw them and no one could say anything judgmental about the tears the boy was crying right now. The hug he had been pulled into was one of affection, of forgiveness and as a way of telling him that there was no way Shokuhou Misaki would ever hate him for the fact that he had forgotten her.

They were simply returning back to where they had once come from.

It had been a dream the entire time.

And now it was time to wake up.

Misaki continued her soothing sounds as she rubbed the back of Touma and in her own mind, it was the fact that she had chosen to hug the boy to console him as he cried that was something she was grateful for.

After all, in her own way, she had lied.

Even if she had said that there were no tears…

There was no way that she was able to hide the ones that came from her eyes as she held Kamijou Touma tightly to her, as if simply letting him go would be the trigger that would make him forget her entirely.

Her time was running out.

And she did not want to let go.

She didn't want to be left with the status quo in Touma forgetting her. The happiness she had felt the past few days had been one that had made her heart swoon, her mind accelerate with enjoyment and just overall her life on this insignificant planet feel as though there was some meaning in her suffering in being forgotten.

The moment that she had been remembered, she had felt as though it had all been worth it. That the suffering she had been through had some higher meaning and that the fun she was about to have was going to equalize everything she had missed out on. She had plans, things she wanted to do with Touma and things she wanted to pursue.

But it was not to be.

No matter what she said, screamed and outright yelled at the world for what she wanted, the wishes and the happiness of Shokuhou Misaki were not going to be heard or listened to. Questions and complaints of unfairness were irrelevant in this case, the only thing that was left being two people.

The girl who would be forgotten.

And the boy who could not save her.

There were going to be no tears, that was what Misaki had said.

But this was real life.

And the damage that had been taken to both their hearts was not something that either could ignore as they silently wept.

They were sure to meet again. Misaki would pass by Touma and he would forget her as the girl hoped for any miracle that would reveal itself and that her stock of miracles had not run out. That was the only thing she could hope for in the future and it was with reluctance that that was the only thing she could look forward to in the future because of it.

But for now, the only thing that was left were the honest thoughts of their hearts.

Kamijou Touma cried and Shokuhou Misaki cried with him, their embrace meaning that they could only feel their sobs in the others' bodies as they held each tight until this event would turn into nothing more than a memory for that girl and dust for that boy.

The moon was their only witness.

And their tears were the only things said.

* * *

 **And that is, as advertised... the Bad End.**

 **But before you all raise your torches and pitchforks to assault us... I humbly ask that you lower your weaponry and hear me out.**

 **As said above, this is the "Bad End," as in one of the possible endings for this set of events. This ideology is rather common in Visual Novel games and some RPGs.**

 **But that said... in those games, if there is a bad end, what is usually coupled with it...? After all; the Bad end is only ONE possibility after all.**

 **Also take note that the story is still not labeled "Complete." I'll see you folks in a couple of days... fufu~**

 **We both hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; we both still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	6. The Good End

**Alright... so I had actually intended to wait another day, but due to a personal thing... hey; it's up a day early!**

 **Like before, i'd like you all to stay until the end; We got something to talk about.**

 **That said... enjoy!**

* * *

"Do you…still remember me?"

The question was asked.

The question that would decide fate.

The question where the answer was feared.

Today was the day that Kamijou Touma would lose all memory of Shokuhou Misaki. She asked the question, fearful of his response.

But it did not come. Touma kept his head down, staring at the grass where he sat. It gave the impression that he was intentionally avoiding eye contact, and that caused the pit in Misaki's stomach to grow.

Did he… did he forget? Can he not remember…? If so… does feel guilty because of that…?

Misaki leaned over, placing one hand on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder.

"My… prince?" She called out. Though she spoke softly; the words sounded pleading. Touma appeared to snap out of his daze and glance over at the girl next to him. He smiled softly before speaking.

"…That's right. You said three days, didn't you?" He asked.

"That's correct. If… things were going to return to normal, then…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish the statement.

"Ah… I must have been really out of it. Sorry; what we were talking about brought up something I have been mulling over in my head for a while. You must have been worried sick." Touma rubbed his neck nervously.

He had been acting a tad strange all day. They were minor instances of apparent memory loss, such as him not remembering the swimsuit shop, but at least with how he spoke now, he seemed to be able still remember.

But the feeling inside the Mental Out's heart refused to fade.

Kamijou Touma remembered, although it was unknown if he still would remember for the days to come. Despite that however… he appeared more than a little distressed.

Something was very clearly wrong, and whatever it was flew around in his head freely enough to distract him from the scene around him.

"…It's fine." She spoke calmly, keeping her hand on the spiky haired teen's shoulder. "You're right; I was more than a little frightened… but if you remember, then its ok."

"I'm glad; I'd hate for the time we had today to be ruined just because I'm spacing out." Touma replied.

"…Kamijou-san?" Misaki called out, tightening her grip ever so slightly. "Is… everything alright? If being here is inconvenient, I understand… but…"

"I…" Touma trailed off. "…It's not you specifically… it's just… something I thought was over and done with in the past as shown its face again... and it's affecting me more than it should."

There was a short silence between the two. The summer cicadas and the noises from the festival below the hill softly filled the air during this time. Touma appeared conflicted; he had the distinct look of wanting to say something, but shook his head a few times when he tried to open his mouth.

He glanced over to the girl next to him. She sat quietly, waiting for the unlucky Kamijou to speak. A tinge of guilt washed over his face as he looked away again.

"…Shokuhou… how… different am I from when we first met?" Touma asked. Misaki blinked, not sure of how to respond at first.

"What do you mean?"

"I just… am I living up to your expectations?" Touma turned to face the honey blond girl again. Misaki was rendered silent for a short time, which made the unlucky Kamijou feel uneasy.

"…If that's what's worrying you, then you have nothing to fear. I am having the most fun that I have had in the longest time here with you… I mean that; the fact I am able to spend this special time with you alone is enough to satisfy me…" She spoke truthfully. Touma kept his eyes on her as she spoke, eventually looking forward again a short time after she finished.

"…I see, that's good-"

"But my intuition ability informs me that such a simple question is just touching upon the surface of what is troubling you." Misaki interrupted. Touma turned once more to face the girl, visibly caught off guard. "Please… you do not need to hide your troubles from me… you have helped me more than you know, so I would be more than happy to return the favor."

Touma's mouth parted slightly like he was about to speak, but it quickly closed as he looked toward the ground again. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"…July 28th, last year." He spoke simply. Misaki perked up a little upon hearing those words.

"Hmm?"

"That morning… I woke up in a hospital bed." Touma continued. "I was more than a little confused… I couldn't remember what I did the previous night that landed me in the hospital… I couldn't remember a lot of things actually… and as it turned out; there was a pretty good reason."

He paused for a moment. When it became clear that Misaki wasn't going to comment, he continued.

"…I was official diagnosed with memory destruction. They didn't know how, but for all intents and purposes, my long-term memory was completely annihilated; the brain cells devoted to it were completely destroyed. So everyone I knew… everything that I went through… everything that made up who I was… it's all gone… and because the brain cells related to those memories were destroyed rather than just damaged, my chances of regaining them are zero."

Touma's upper body shifted so that it was facing Misaki fully.

"…I'm sorry, but the Kamijou Touma you knew is dead. He died a year ago… I might share his name but… we're not the same person. I didn't want to say anything before because of… well; how happy you were… but it just felt appropriate to say it now… so…"

It was silent again. Touma sat, anticipating a reply.

Oddly, Misaki appeared to be taking the news rather well. She looked down for a moment before turning toward the festival down below.

"…I see." She spoke simply. Her tone seemed oddly indifferent to what she had herd. Despite that though, Touma felt sick; he knew he would have to tell her at some point if it became clear he was going to remember, but right now it was still up in the air.

In a strange way, he would have preferred to forget her. She would still be heart broken, but at least she'd be able to go on thinking she had a brief summer miracle with someone she cared about very deeply.

That notion however was destroyed entirely, and they still had no idea if Kamijou Touma would be able to remember Shokuhou Misaki the following morning.

The hope of her remembering the time they had fondly was destroyed. He destroyed it. He crushed it.

So he felt sick. Sick for doing such a horrible thing to a kind girl who simply wanted to enjoy the company of Kamijou Touma.

A Kamijou Touma that didn't exist anymore.

Touma turned back toward the festival at the bottom of the hill, his eyes filled with guilt as he stared at the ground.

"…That's ok, Kamijou-san."

Misaki's words caught Touma off guard and his head shot up.

"What…? How… is it ok!? I mean… I lead you on like this and-"

"Kamijou-san… you're going to think ill of me for this." Misaki interrupted. "I've… known about that… for a while now."

Touma's eye's widened in shock.

"You… knew?"

"Mhm." Misaki nodded. "I didn't find out right away mind you… but one of the times I caught wind of you being in the hospital… I got a little curious and used my ability to gain access to the patient records… yours, if it wasn't already obvious."

"…Ah, I see… I guess something like that would be fairly easy to find in my medical history…" Touma replied. He shifted a little where he sat. "…Despite knowing that… despite the Kamijou Touma you knew being gone… you still wanted to spend time with me…?"

"You give yourself far too little credit, Kamijou-san." Misaki smiled. "You're not all that different from how you were before. I mean, some changes were going to happen; that was unavoidable… but at your core… your still Kamijou Touma. Even if you are a little less perverted than before."

"…Wait, back up; what's this about me being perverted?" Touma asked dryly.

"Oh my… would you be willing to believe that you refused to acknowledge me as a proper lady, saying that I was too flat?" Misaki giggled lightly.

"…W-what kind of revelation is this!?" Touma shouted. "The old me thought YOU were flat!? What; did I refused to acknowledge breasts unless they took up an entire girl's torso or something!? No wonder Fukiyose has it out for me; I probably said something stupid and sealed my fate! Such misfortune!" Touma fell to his back and covered his eyes as Misaki giggled continuously, laughing at the unlucky Kamijou's reaction.

"Too be fair, I did look just a little bit different back then." Misaki smiled.

"Even so… that's just…" He trailed off, not sure of how to describe it. "…I'm tempted to ask more about myself, but now I'm scared of what kind of person I was…" Touma laid his arms to his sides. Not long after, Misaki rested on her back next to him.

"…But what you say isn't entirely wrong, Kamijou-san." Misaki spoke. "The old Kamijou Touma I spent that summer with… he is gone… and he won't be coming back."

Touma frowned as he looked up at the sky, guilt once more washing over him. Before it could last however, he felt a familiar warmth take ahold of his left hand.

"But… that's fine… the memories I have are still there, so he lives on. I carry on his memory… and you carry on his legacy." Misaki stated. "If it's like this, I think it's ok, don't you?"

"I… is that… really ok?" Touma asked. "Is it ok… for you?"

"It is… like this, I can feel satisfied…" Misaki replied. "…After all~"

Touma gasped when he suddenly felt a weight on top of him. He also felt two rather large and soft things now pressing into his chest.

"S-Shokuhou! B-be careful! Y-your chest really pushes against me when you do that! What are you-"

Touma was silenced when he felt a soft pair of lips press against his own. It was short, but the message was clear.

"…The old you might be gone, but I've fallen for the new you all the same~" Misaki spoke when she pulled back.

Touma flushed red; to say he was surprised was an understatement.

"I… I… I…!"

"Yes? Speak up; Shokuhou-chan can't hear you~" Misaki giggled.

"I… y-you…! I…!"

"Hmm? Did I break you? Not used to having cute girls kiss you, I see." She spoke again.

"W-why… d-did you do that…?" Touma spoke as if he was at a loss for words. The honey blonde girl pouted briefly, but that was quickly replaced by a smile.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you after that?" Misaki spoke. Touma was too shocked to notice, but a rather noticeable blush had spread across Misaki's face as well. "Kamijou-san… to me; whether you are the old or new you does not matter. As long as you act the way you do, talk the way you do… care for others like you do, then it's all the same for me."

Misaki pushed herself up just enough so she could clearly look into Touma's eyes.

"Kamijou Touma… my prince… I love you."

If there was a way for his eyes to widen further, Kamijou Touma discovered it when he heard those last three words.

"Y-you…!?"

"That's right… want me to say it again?" Misaki asked with a smile. "I love you. I was concerned at first… I knew you were just a tad different from before, so I did my best to keep myself in check… but I couldn't help myself… these past few days have been the happiest in my life… with so much joy filling my heart, I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you all over again… so please, consider that just a little bit of a repayment for the kindness you have shown me… and don't hesitate to ask for another; I'll give you as many as you want~"

Touma was rendered silence once more, one of many times this night he realized.

A girl had just confessed to him, and more so had kissed him directly.

His heart pounded loudly in his chest as his face remained its deep shade of red.

He truly didn't know how to respond. Part of him didn't believe it was real. What should he say? What could he say?

It was sudden; he didn't know how he felt. He liked being around her, sure, but… to go that far? He was confused; emotions he didn't understand were running wild in his heart.

Did he feel the same way? Or was his reaction just natural due to the circumstances?

He was scared to respond. Scared to say something he shouldn't.

Scared to say something to upset her, because he didn't know how he truly felt.

But, it was the honey blonde girl who spoke up again to interrupt his racing thoughts.

"…You don't have to make a decision right now, you know."

"Eh?" Touma blinked. Misaki simply smiled back at him softly.

"This must be sudden… you probably avoided thinking about me in this way to try and avoid causing something, didn't you?"

Ah… ahaha… y-yeah… y-you got me…" Touma laughed nervously. Misaki leaned back down, resting her head against his chest.

"I'm not asking for a magical three-day romance… I won't demand that you must return my feelings either; just having you in my life again is more than enough for me…"

She spoke softly, resting against him. He could feel her as she took a breath before speaking again.

"All I want is a chance… a chance to win you over… that's all I ask."

It took a bit for Touma to process everything that had happened. The summer cicadas continued their song of nature as the festival continued. People appeared to be moving back to the hill the two occupied, though they stayed a fair distance away, letting them keep their privacy.

After a few moments passed, the spiky haired teen finally responded.

"…There are still a lot we don't know… I mean; if I am going to lose my memories, we don't know how or when it will happen…"

"If I was concerned with that, I wouldn't have bothered trying to reconnect with you in the first place." Misaki replied.

"I get into a lot of trouble because of my misfortune… hospital stays and fatal injuries are probably guaranteed." Touma spoke.

"That's fine; if you get hurt or sick, I'll nurse you back to health personally."

"There are better guys out there than me, you know."

"You could tell me that a thousand times and I still wouldn't believe you." The honey blond girl turned her head so she was looking up at the unlucky Kamijou. "You're really trying to exercise your persuasion ability, aren't you?"

"I just… I just want you to be sure about this. As my roommate would agree, life with Kamijou Touma is not an easy one…" Touma asked. "So… is this what you really want…?"

"More than anything." Misaki answered, not waiting even a second to reply. Touma thought for a few moments before replying.

"…I can't say how things will turn out… but if a chance is what you want, then it's a chance you'll get. If it's really what you want… then I have no reason to refuse you." He nodded. Misaki pushed herself up yet again with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Now, it's the time I ask if you're the sure one… you understand what this means, don't you?" Misaki spoke. "I'll be trying awfully hard to win you over… I might even go above and beyond and make use of my own lewd ability, Kamijou-kuuuuuun~"

"…And I wouldn't expect anything less!" Touma replied. The terms caught the girl off guard, but she gradually began to smile as her face turned red.

There was a loud bang, and the whole area lit up in a mish-mash of colors.

It didn't take long to figure out what had happened… after all; what's a festival without fireworks?

"The show's started." Touma stated. Misaki's response was to turn herself over, laying on the unlucky Kamijou.

"Best seat in the house; so soft and warm." The honey blonde spoke.

"Hey, we had a talk earlier about who the soft one here is."

"In that case; how about I take out my remote from my yukata and let you rest on me instead? That way you can see how truly soft this cute girl is." Misaki replied. As if on command, Touma flushed red.

"T-that's… a l-little soon, don't you think!?" He shouted.

"I told you I might make use of my own lewd ability, Kamijou-kun~" The short suffix this time didn't detract from the flirty tone Misaki used. The fireworks display began to speed up as more explosive lights filled the air. The two laid silently as the show continued.

After a short time, the fireworks began to slow down. There would likely be one final big display, but after that the festivities would be done.

"So… it looks like our night is about over, huh." Touma spoke.

"…Only if you want it to be. There's actually something I'd like to do tonight if you'd allow me." Misaki replied.

"Oh? And what's that?"

"…I'd like to meet this roommate of yours if you don't mind." Misaki replied. Touma's body locked up upon hearing those words.

"Y-you… want to meet Index!?" Touma stuttered out. "I… I don't think that's a very good idea… she can be a bit… temperamental when I bring girl's home…!"

"…So you've done this before?"

"N-not like that!" Touma shouted defensively. "You're the first girl to… confess to me…" He trailed off. Misaki giggled.

"Kamijou-san… If things go well, I'll be meeting her anyway. All I'd like to do is meet her sooner than later… understand?" The honey blonde girl spoke.

"I… suppose you do have a point… I can't say how she will react… but if it's what you really want, I suppose we can…" Touma replied, easing up a little. "…Though mentioning that, I'll probably have to meet your clique at some point, won't I?"

It was Misaki's turn to freeze in place.

"O-oh… oh my…"

"…Didn't think about it this far, did you?" Touma asked.

"It's just… w-well! I don't know how they'd react if I walked up to them with… w-well… with a lack of a better way to put it… a boyfriend…" Misaki replied with a noticeable blush. She wasn't alone, as a mention of the term.

"I… see that we both have some challenges in the future to overcome…" Touma stated.

"That we do…" Misaki replied. She shifted onto her side so she could see Touma's face. "But… that just will make everything sweeter in the end, won't it…?"

"I… suppose you do have a point." The spiky haired teen nodded. They laid silently for a little while longer as the sounds of fireworks overhead filled the area.

"…Kamijou-san?"

"Yeah, Shokuhou?" Touma sat up a little, only to be caught off guard when Misaki pressed her lips against his again, stealing another kiss from him.

"Thank you…for these three days… for granting my wish… and for the possible future… thank you… a thousand times, thank you…"

The two then laid together silently as the last grand show of the fireworks began, letting themselves simply enjoy each other's company on the warm summer night.

* * *

 **And there is your nice fluffy ending! How was it?**

 **Some people have asked about a reviewer response... and I have an answer; there will be one!**

 **Me and MrQuestionMark have a planned Afterword where we discuss things that happened and our general development of this little story. It should be out in about a week or so, but in the meantime; leave questions for us! Give us your thoughts! Got a general question? Got one (or multiple) for either/Both of us? Or do you just want to give us your thoughts about this story? Go on ahead! They will all be answered in a Reviewer Response segment in the afterword.**

 **Also; because some people have probably been wondering: Bust Upper Incident is not dead. I was simply taking a break from it for a month while this story was going on, and should be back some time in March. Can't say when because... well; life is life, but the moment it is set to be unleashed, I shall update it.**

 **I think that's about everything... remember to leave thoughts and questions for us!**

 **We hope you all enjoyed. Please review at your leisure; we still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	7. Afterword

**MrQuestionMark: Welcome to the end! This is one of your writers waving at you through the keyboard, MrQuestionMark!**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Make no mistake here, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person is here too. Before we go on, I could just like to take a moment to say how sorry I am with how late this afterword is; a lot of life happened in the past week. That being said; here we are! If you have made it thus far, that must mean you have survived the heart-tearing-terror of the bad end and saw everything through to the good end… congratulations!

 **MrQuestionMark: Part of me thinks that the readers know exactly who wrote what...but I think at the same time, it's time for something I'm not too sure either of us are used to having as an entirely different chapter: the Afterword! From the both of us; welcome! So, what did you think of the story?**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Did you like our two endings? Did you prefer one over the other? This is the first collaborative project we have undertaken, so we are genuinely interested in your feedback! On that though, we have some rather unique trivia stuff about this story's development, don't we my friend?

 **MrQuestionMark: I guess this behind the scenes stuff really has some appeal in its own way. Somehow, I'm a sucker for trivia in this way; those small facts that you hear about a project that makes you raise an eyebrow and think 'Really?'. While the finished project might seem as though it took a week to put together, it was far from it. While this was posted in February 2018, I think the initial idea for this and the idea for a collaboration came up...in September 2017? And even then, it wasn't until December that we actually started getting into the writing for this thing!**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: I think that date is right. We started speaking about it near the start of fall I believe. On that note though; this was originally just an idea for a one-shot. It began as an idea about Misaki joining Touma near the end of an adventure, a confrontation with a Magician or other entity of some kind, and eventually once it was all over, a scene of Touma remembering Misaki to finish up. As things got going, things drifted away from being about the incident, eventually deciding to leave what happened vague on purpose, to focus more on what happened after the incident. Eventually the three-day limit idea was pitched, and just like that, we had a plot. The idea of it being a possible joint project was brought up around the time that the three-day limit idea came to be… and when December rolled around, writing began!

 **MrQuestionMark: Originally though, I think it was just going to be an idea for just a Good End. There was not going to be a Bad End mainly because of the fact that we both sort of felt, in our own right, that Misaki deserves her Happy Ending as it were. But at the same time, the fact that we were going to end it on such a happy note when the canon has left Misaki in the state she is in now made us think that maybe there was the chance for us to go one of two routes: both of which you can see being led down but only one that seems to be one you want. In this sense, having the Bad End being before the Good End is our way of sort of giving you a bit more with the Good End; a bitter pill to swallow...before being given the uprising that is the Good End. But while that is the ending...what about those dates scenes ArmoredCoreNineBall!?**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Oho, the date scenes? Those giant balls of fluff!? Well, we decided very early on that their first "Date" would be a trip down memory lane, though there was some discussion where that would lead; would Misaki tell Touma about their past together, or keep it hidden? You all know which direction that took though! The second day was designed to be more… "Typical," though not really because of course Kamijou Touma is around; misfortune is about to appear rather spectacularly. The yakiniku was a tad bit of a last minute idea, but we felt it would be so fitting we decided to include it! The third day was an odd one; we actually had the idea of Misaki being in a Yukata first and foremost, and kind of designed what would happen around an occasion that would call for her to wear one… which was that festival, which also ended up being the reason why these two had time off from their classes… influences for how everything was designed are everywhere!

 **MrQuestionMark: As you can probably tell, we felt it more appropriate to have different authors working on different chapters if only for the fact that it would give a better picture of how the same characters can have similar going-ons yet be entirely different. But actually, I think if anything the hardest chapters were those dates scenes. The both of us are used to have stories that focus on a proper story with the romance here and there but instead, this was a big change for the both of us in terms of the story because the story itself was romance.**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: I believe that's an accurate sentiment; both of us have done romantic ELEMENTS before, but never a full-on romance story, so this was entirely new territory for us both. I think we hit our marks and that our chapters can mesh rather well… but that's a topic for you, the reader, to decide. We just wanted to create a fiction about the interactions between Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma in a miraculous situation; a little glimpse into what could have been… or, since the series isn't done yet, what could be. Who knows!? Some Super-Overlord-Magic-God could somehow rewrite causality in the future and fix some things! Or break them even more! It is a complete mystery as to what the future for Toaru holds… and this is just a small little look into one of the possibilities of the continuum shift… That's a game-joke; anyone who can name where it's from gets 10 awesome points.

 **MrQuestionMark: The both of us only hope that the things we gave you were things you came to fully enjoy. But...this was harder than the both of thought so it was an interesting experience for the both of us in its own way for sure. There have been numerous stories out there that have delved into this type of thing in its own way so the two of felt as though dedicating a story strictly to this given topic was a good way to look into a character who has been extremely popular of late: Shokuhou Misaki. But actually, instead of the beginning being worked on first, it was the ENDING we started with!**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Such is the crazy way some of these stories come into existence, but that does bring up something I feel is worth touching upon. Readers, if you desire to write, allow me to offer but a humble piece of advice; before you begin, have an idea of what your ending will be. It doesn't have to be set in stone; just a rough idea of how you'd like to end your story can go a long way in making sure your story stays on track. Sometimes working from your ending can be the best place to start to make sure everything in your story feels justified in the end. That said… I believe that's everything. Do you have any additional/final words for our readers, MrQuestionMark?

 **MrQuestionMark: Nothing else seems to jump out at me at all. The only thing that I hope you readers did when reading this was fully enjoy what we had to offer you with everything you had.**

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Then I believe we are done. But before we go; I'll take a moment and do a proper Reviewer Response! Here we go!

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 _whwsms:_ Unlimited Fluff Works! Let the dogs of shipping be unleeeaaaassshhhheeeddd!

 _Purrple Cate:_ Did we hit you in the feels with the sad ending? I can understand with how you feel with constantly new characters being introduced, but one must remember the focus on To Aru as a whole. Admittedly, I would be 100% down with novels of just characters interacting as I love that stuff, but it is at its heart an action-based story, and as To Aru is such a story without many (if any) re-occurring villains, new characters being introduced is more or less a must; we only just recently saw Aleister and Lola Straut take center stage of the conflict, you know! But I will agree that the amount of characters in To Aru is staggering... but with an action based series, you can only focus on so many people at once.

 _NeoShadows:_ So we avoided a fiery death... good good... I'm glad you enjoyed the good end and the story as a whole. Bust Upper should be on its way sometime this month! I believe everything else I covered in the PM directed to you, so I wish you luck with writing, my friend!

 _YozakuraKyou:_ I currently prefer to leave what happens next and beyond up to the readers... I certainly have my own thoughts on it after all!

 _Dark Tyrant-Fool:_ There is probably some truth to what you say; while the good end is all fluffy, the bad end is more likely to be how it would go considering everything... but that doesn't make the good ending impossible, now does it? As for a true ending... I'd say it is up to you, the readers, which would be considered the "true" ending.

 _Bluejack222:_ I think the above reply covers this rather well!

 _Guest00:_ A disturbance in the force ending... we have no plans for any additional endings, but one must think about what could happen if the other girls Touma has won over realize that one of them had finally managed to raise a flag, huh... I expect chaos and fire.

 _Mr X:_ No problem at all, my good sir! The bad end has its purpose as you can probably see, which is why it is there; it's meant to pull at your heart, and I assume it had done just that; many people see the bad ends as being unlikable or terrible, but it is those heart-pulling endings that make those good and fluffy endings that much more enjoyable. I'm glad you enjoyed the good ending though!

 _St german:_ Everyone has their own preferences; I know I do. It does make me glad you were able to enjoy the story regardless of your thoughts on pairings. As long as I have ideas to work with, I'm sure me and MrQuestionMark will keep writing them!

 _Sergio644:_ D-did what we had to say calm you enough to avoid the flames and pitchfork!?

 _ThinkpadT420:_ Me and MrQuestionMark don't do shipping stories very often, and I can't guarantee any particular shipping stories in the future... though I will fully admit that there are certain character's I'd like to see stories about too, and Fukiyose is definitely up there, along with Itsuwa and Leivinia. We will see if either of us are struck with sudden inspiration for another romance story or not. If we do, I'm sure you'll know!

 _Handsomistic1_ _:_ What does the future hold!? Who knows! And thinking about that is part of the fun, wouldn't you agree?

 _pinoirene:_ There are currently no plans for sequel... but anything is possible! I can't say a definite yes or no though... such is the way of us writers.

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ArmoredCoreNineBall: And now that is done... I hope you all enjoyed this wonderful little experiment of ours. We don't know if we will do a collaboration story again anytime soon, but I sincerely hope you enjoyed. Review at your leisure; we still enjoy feedback!

And from the both of us: We hope you all have a wonderful day, friends! And we will see you in another story!


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